Narrative Reading

The naturalistic paradigm and analytical methods present new approaches that are particularly suitable for research concentrating on narrative reading development. We analyzed fMRI data from 44 adults and 42 children engaged in story reading using time‐locked inter‐subject correlation (ISC), inter‐subject representation similarity analysis (IS‐RSA), and inter‐subject functional correlation (ISFC). The ISC results indicated that for both children and adults, narrative reading recruited not only traditional reading areas but also regions that are sensitive to long‐time‐scale information, such as the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, which increased involvement from children to adults. The results of the IS‐RSA indicated that during narrative reading, children exhibited greater uniqueness in neural patterns, while adults demonstrated greater similarity. The analysis of reading‐level subgroups with the ISC and ISFC reveals differences in narrative reading development that span from children to adults, especially for regions sensitive to long‐time‐scale semantic processing. These results indicate that the maturity and experience play a crucial role in narrative reading development.

Background Empathic concern and perspective-taking may contribute to avoiding stigmatization of adverse health behavior. Narrative writing has been shown to be effective in promoting perspective-taking and empathy. But since narrative writing is time consuming, we tested in the present study narrative reading as an alternative, more parsimonious approach. Methods In a randomized controlled experiment, we compared writing a narrative text about a fictitious person who displays disapproved of health behavior to reading such a text and to a control condition in which participants wrote about an unrelated topic. With a sample of n = 194 participants, we investigated the impact of writing and reading a narrative text on promoting empathic concern and perspective-taking as well as on attitude change. Results We found that both writing and reading a narrative text about the fictitious character increased empathic concern, F(1, 191) = 32.85, p < 0.001, part. η2 = 0.15, and perspective-taking, F(1, 191) = 24.76, p < 0.001, part. η2 = 0.12, more strongly than writing about an unrelated topic. Writing and reading a narrative text also resulted in a more positive attitude toward this person, F(1, 191) = 17.63, p < 0.001, part. η2 = 0.08. Simply reading a narrative text was equally efficient as narrative writing with respect to empathic concern, p = 0.581, perspective-taking, p = 0.629, and attitude, p = 0.197. Conclusion The finding that narrative reading is as effective as narrative writing suggests that the readers appear to be able to comprehend and engage with the story being told. When narrative reading is as effective as narrative writing, it can succeed with reduced effort in increasing empathic concern, perspective-taking, and attitude. We discuss the benefits of this approach for reducing stigmatization of adverse health behavior.

This research aimed at finding out the implementation of picture series in teaching narrative reading text to the eight grade students of MTs al-Khairaat Uemalingku Ampana. This research was qualitative research, the subjects of this research were teachers and students. The data collection methods employed in this study were observation, interviews, and documentation. The data sources used in this study were primary data and secondary data. Data analysis techniques used were data reduction, data presentation, and data verification. The result of this research showed that the implementation of Picture Series in Teaching Narrative Reading Text to the Eight grade Students of MTs al-Khairaat Uemalingku Ampana consists of the following steps: firstly, the teacher trained the students to think and directed them to find answer to problems by playing drawing games. Secondly, the teacher explained the material deeply, such as the step to write narrative text. Thirdly, the teacher distributed some random pictures to the students to short the pictures into a logical sequence and to find out the difference in the learning outcomes that had been achieved by students in learning narrative text. The learning evaluation was carried out at the end of the lesson.

Abstract The role of the left angular gyrus (AG) in language processing remains unclear. In this study, we used TMS to test the hypothesis that the left AG causally supports the processes necessary for context-dependent integration and encoding of information during language processing. We applied on-line TMS over the left AG to disrupt the on-line context-dependent integration during a language reading task, specifically while human participants integrated information between two sequentially presented paragraphs of text (“context” and “target” paragraphs). We assessed the effect of TMS on the left AG by asking participants to retrieve integrated contextual information when given the target condition as cue in a successive memory task. Results from the memory task showed that TMS applied over the left AG during reading impaired the formation of integrated context-target representation. These results provide the first evidence of a causal link between the left AG function, on-line information integration, and associative encoding during language processing.

Abstract Using international large-scale datasets, this study investigated the role of science domain knowledge and reading motivation in L1 and L2 reading comprehension of informational and narrative text in fourth-grade students in five countries. The results of multi-group multilevel regression showed that science domain knowledge was the strongest predictor for informational and narrative reading comprehension in students who were second language learners and students who were monolingual across the countries. Overall, the coefficient of science domain knowledge was similar between the two language groups for each genre, indicating that science domain knowledge might play a facilitative role in reading comprehension to a similar extent between L1 and L2. Reading self-efficacy was also a significant predictor for L1 and L2 reading comprehension of the two genres across the countries, whereas reading attitudes were not. The findings are discussed with respect to research and practice.

Abstract Reading skills are essential adaptive skills for daily life, enabling individuals to function effectively in society. This study examines the relations between executive functions components - including inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility - and reading comprehension in both narrative and expository texts. A total of 263 fourth grade elementary school students participated in this study, who were evaluated on their reading comprehension skills, as well as on their executive functions and reading variables such as word reading, fluency and vocabulary. The results of this study suggest that inhibition, working memory and cognitive flexibility have direct and indirect effects on reading comprehension of narrative and expository texts. Especially, the direct effect of working memory is highlighted, both for reading comprehension of expository and narrative texts. Additionally, academic vocabulary is an important mediating variable between executive functions, especially inhibition, and reading comprehension in students of this age. These findings underscore the relevance of strengthening executive functions to improve reading comprehension, especially in middle school students.

Readers generate situation models representing described events, but the nature of these representations may differ depending on the reading goals. We assessed whether instructions to pay attention to different situational dimensions affect how individuals structure their situation models (Exp. 1) and how they update these models when situations change (Exp. 2). In Experiment 1, participants read and segmented narrative texts into events. Some readers were oriented to pay specific attention to characters or space. Sentences containing character or spatial-location changes were perceived as event boundaries—particularly if the reader was oriented to characters or space, respectively. In Experiment 2, participants read narratives and responded to recognition probes throughout the texts. Readers who were oriented to the spatial dimension were more likely to update their situation models at spatial changes; all readers tracked the character dimension. The results from both experiments indicated that attention to individual situational dimensions influences how readers segment and update their situation models. More broadly, the results provide evidence for a global situation model updating mechanism that serves to set up new models at important narrative changes.

No abstract available

Metaphors occur frequently in literary texts. Deliberate Metaphor Theory (DMT; e.g., Steen, 2017) proposes that metaphors that serve a communicative function as metaphor are radically different from metaphors that do not have this function. We investigated differences in processing between deliberate and non-deliberate metaphors, compared to non-metaphorical words in literary reading. Using the Deliberate Metaphor Identification Procedure (Reijnierse et al., 2018), we identified metaphors in two literary stories. Then, eye-tracking was used to investigate participants’ (N = 72) reading behavior. Deliberate metaphors were read slower than non-deliberate metaphors, and both metaphor types were read slower than non-metaphorical words. Differences were controlled for several psycholinguistic variables. Differences in reading behavior were related to individual differences in reading experience and absorption and appreciation of the story. These results are in line with predictions from DMT and underline the importance of distinguishing between metaphor types in the experimental study of literary reading.

ABSTRACT While some argue digital reading media may impair text comprehension, the empirical literature is ambiguous, in particular when it comes to the reading of narrative texts. Therefore, a comprehensive and systematic meta-analysis of studies exploring the effect of screen reading media on reading comprehension of narrative texts was conducted (k = 32, N = 2239). Multimedia and interactive functions in general, the type of multimedia and interactive functions, the change in effect over time, and the type of digital reading device (computer, e-reader, and tablet) were explored as moderating variables. In general, the analyses did not reveal a significant impact of the reading medium (screen vs. paper) on the reading comprehension of a narrative text. Moreover, there does not seem to be a difference over time and between different types of digital reading devices. Also, the analysis of the subsample of studies using plain digital text without any additional functions in comparison to print showed no significant differences. In contrast, multimedia and interactive functions of digital texts affect reading comprehension positively, regardless of the type of additional function. In conclusion, the results do not suggest a negative effect of digital reading media on reading comprehension when reading narrative texts.

No abstract available

Reading comprehension is an essential skill for learning in general and in science classes. Problems with reading comprehension might hinder students’ participation in learning science. Text in science includes specific language features that distinguishes it from narrative text, so should reading instruction be part of teaching science? The direct and inferential mediation (DIME) model of reading comprehension subsumes factors that influence reading comprehension. It was tested separately regarding narrative text as well as expository text in English; however, both have not been tested by directly comparing them to each other. In this study, we investigated to what degree general reading comprehension of narrative text is directly comparable to topic-specific reading comprehension of science text. Hence, first the applicability of the DIME model of reading comprehension in another language (i.e. German) was tested. Second, a general reading comprehension model was directly compared to a topic-specific model for reading comprehension of science text. Participants across the two studies were 704 German Grade 8 students who completed measures of comprehension and the DIME predictor variables. Results of two path analyses indicate the general applicability of the model for another language and additionally for both genres. However, some differences are highlighted that may be of importance in future science-specific studies as well as for teaching science.

This article lays out the theoretical-analytic framework of narrative agency, three central dimensions of which are narrative awareness, narrative imagination, and narrative dialogicality, and presents a model of metanarrative reading groups, which aims at amplifying narrative agency. It argues that an important form of self-reflexivity in contemporary literary fiction is metanarrativity—self-aware reflection not only on the narratives’ own narrativity but also on the significance and functions of cultural practices of narrative sense-making. It analyzes how reading together metanarrative fiction, which critically engages with the roles of cultural narrative models in contemporary society, can shape narrative agency—that is, the ability to navigate narrative environments. The article illustrates the metanarrative reading-group model through the analysis of one reading-group session, which focuses on a metanarrative excerpt from Carol Shields's The Stone Diaries. The article suggests that a creative, dialogical space of a metanarrative reading group forms a productive environment for exploring the affordances, limitations, and power of narratives. It argues that working with narrative agency has the potential to help participants gain critical awareness of—and thereby more agentic power over—their narrative environments, and to engage with them in more critical and creative ways.

Although various studies have shown that narrative reading draws on social-cognitive abilities, not much is known about the precise aspects of narrative processing that engage these abilities. We hypothesized that the linguistic processing of narrative viewpoint—expressed by elements that provide access to the inner world of characters—might play an important role in engaging social-cognitive abilities. Using eye tracking, we studied the effect of lexical markers of perceptual, cognitive, and emotional viewpoint on eye movements during reading of a 5,000-word narrative. Next, we investigated how this relationship was modulated by individual differences in social-cognitive abilities. Our results show diverging patterns of eye movements for perceptual viewpoint markers on the one hand, and cognitive and emotional viewpoint markers on the other. Whereas the former are processed relatively fast compared to non-viewpoint markers, the latter are processed relatively slow. Moreover, we found that social-cognitive abilities impacted the processing of words in general, and of perceptual and cognitive viewpoint markers in particular, such that both perspective-taking abilities and self-reported perspective-taking traits facilitated the processing of these markers. All in all, our study extends earlier findings that social cognition is of importance for story reading, showing that individual differences in social-cognitive abilities are related to the linguistic processing of narrative viewpoint.

Background The digitalisation of literature is proliferating, and the increasing spread of digital reading devices and the availability of digital texts is likely to make books on screen a lasting phenomenon, but little attention has been paid to the consequences of digitalisation for the experience of narrative fiction. While on the one hand, reading literature on a digital reading device might trigger a superficial processing of the text, and problems regarding orientation within the narrative, the awareness of reading a literary text might, on the other hand, lead to more in‐depth and complex processing, independent of reading medium. This study examines whether the reading performance and the emotional and cognitive experiences of the reception of a literary text vary between reading a printed book or an e‐reader. Methods Using a between‐subjects experimental design, 207 participants read the beginning of a novel either in a printed book or on an e‐reader. They then completed a reading comprehension test and questionnaires about their cognitive and emotional experiences. Results Overall, the results do not suggest the clear superiority of either of the two reading media. Neither reading speed nor reading comprehension differed significantly between the two groups. Even though a broad range of reading experiences was measured, neither cognitive nor emotional reading experiences differed significantly between the groups. Conclusion An e‐reader does not affect either reading performance or cognitive and emotional experience of reading a narrative text, compared with a printed book.

Language comprehension involves the prediction of upcoming linguistic units across multiple timescales. However, how this prediction process is hierarchically implemented in the human brain remains unclear. Combining natural language processing (NLP) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in a narrative comprehension task, we first applied the group-based general linear model (gGLM) to identify the neural underpinnings associated with anticipating upcoming words and sentences. Our results revealed a cortical hierarchy supporting linguistic prediction, extending from the superior temporal cortices to the default mode network (DMN). Next, we investigated how the word and sentence levels interact by testing two rival hypotheses: the continuous updating hypothesis posits that higher-level regions are updated continuously as inputs unfold over time, while the sparse updating hypothesis states that higher-level regions are updated only at the boundaries of their preferred timescales. Using computational modeling and autocorrelation analysis, we found that the sparse model outperformed the continuous model, with updating occurred at the sentence boundaries. Together, our results extend evidence for linguistic prediction to longer timescales and elucidate the neurocomputational mechanisms of hierarchical information updating in the human brain. Computational modeling of fMRI data during narrative comprehension reveals a cortical organization and cross-level interaction supporting multilevel linguistic prediction.

Speech comprehension involves the dynamic interplay of multiple cognitive processes, from basic sound perception, to linguistic encoding, and finally to complex semantic-conceptual interpretations. How the brain handles the diverse streams of information processing remains poorly understood. Applying Hidden Markov Modeling to fMRI data obtained during spoken narrative comprehension, we reveal that the whole brain networks predominantly oscillate within a tripartite latent state space. These states are, respectively, characterized by high activities in the sensory-motor (State #1), bilateral temporal (State #2), and default mode networks (DMN; State #3) regions, with State #2 acting as a transitional hub. The three states are selectively modulated by the acoustic, word-level semantic, and clause-level semantic properties of the narrative. Moreover, the alignment with both the best performer and the group-mean in brain state expression can predict participants’ narrative comprehension scores measured from the post-scan recall. These results are reproducible with different brain network atlas and generalizable to two datasets consisting of young and older adults. Our study suggests that the brain underlies narrative comprehension by switching through a tripartite state space, with each state probably dedicated to a specific component of language faculty, and effective narrative comprehension relies on engaging those states in a timely manner.

The plot of a narrative is represented in the form of event models in working memory. Because only parts of the plot are actually presented and information is continually changing, comprehenders have to infer a good portion of a narrative and keep their mental representation updated. Research has identified two related processes (e.g., Gernsbacher, 1997): During model construction (shifting, laying a foundation) at large coherence breaks an event model is completely built anew. During model updating (mapping) at smaller omissions, however, the current event model is preserved, and only changed parts are updated through inference processes. Thus far, reliably distinguishing those two processes in visual narratives like comics was difficult. We report a study (N = 80) that aimed to map the differences between constructing and updating event models in visual narratives by combining measures from narrative comprehension and event cognition research and manipulating event structure. Participants watched short visual narratives designed to (not) contain event boundaries at larger coherence breaks and elicit inferences through small omissions, while we collected viewing time measures as well as event segmentation and comprehensibility data. Viewing time, segmentation, and comprehensibility data were in line with the assumption of two distinct comprehension processes. We thus found converging evidence across multiple measures for distinct model construction and updating processes in visual narratives.

ABSTRACT Autistic individuals sometimes show differences from non-autistic individuals when understanding stories, regardless of whether those stories are told through words or pictures. In narrative comprehension, predicting upcoming words or events in a story may facilitate understanding. In studies measuring event-related potentials (ERPs) with non-autistic adults, more predictable words in a linguistic narrative or panels in a visual narrative typically elicit reduced N400 amplitudes compared to less predictable words/panels. However, the predictive processes used by autistic individuals may differ from those used by non-autistic individuals, which could contribute to differences in narrative comprehension. Here, we report two studies examining predictive processing in linguistic and visual narrative comprehension among autistic and non-autistic adults. Autistic adults showed earlier N400 modulations by cloze compared to non-autistic adults in both linguistic and visual modalities, which may reflect a more bottom-up processing style that relies less on active prediction of upcoming words or events.

No abstract available

This study investigates the impact of narrative and informative texts on Arabic reading comprehension in the context of Islamic education. Arabic proficiency is crucial for understanding Islamic teachings, yet the differential effects of narrative and informative texts on comprehension have not been extensively explored. While narrative texts engage students through storytelling, fostering emotional connections and intuitive understanding, informative texts provide factual knowledge, supporting analytical thinking and academic comprehension. The gap in literature lies in the comparative analysis of these two types of texts in Arabic language learning within Islamic education. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate how narrative and informative texts affect Arabic comprehension in 12th-grade students. A comparative methodology was employed, using pre- and post-test assessments to measure reading comprehension after exposure to both text types. Statistical analysis was applied to determine the significance of differences in comprehension scores between narrative and informative texts. The results indicated a significant difference in students' comprehension scores, with narrative texts yielding higher mean scores (87.81) compared to informative texts (73.77), suggesting that narrative texts may be more engaging for students. However, no significant correlation was found between the two text types and overall comprehension, highlighting the influence of factors such as teaching methods and student engagement. The study’s limitation includes its small sample size, which may affect the generalizability of the results. The originality of this study lies in its focus on Arabic language learning in Islamic education, providing insights into how different text types can enhance reading comprehension and support language development in this specific educational context.

The current study investigates narrative retelling and comprehension among 30 native Arabic-speaking preschool children with a mean age of 5:10. Narrative features of text-complexity (less-complex and more-complex episodic structure) and language variety (Spoken Palestinian Arabic [PA] and Modern Standard Arabic [MSA]) were analyzed for their effect on narrative retelling and comprehension. Four narratives accompanied by six pictures each (Gagarina et al., 2012) were used. Two were presented in MSA and two in PA, the children’s spoken vernacular. Two of them, one per each language variety, matched on episodic structure, were less complex, and two were more complex. Although children were free to choose which language to use for the retelling, they all used PA. Retelling performance was analyzed according to macrostructure, microstructure, and the use of Internal State Terms (ISTs). Comprehension was tested via questions addressing the character’s goals, ISTs, and Theory of Mind. With respect to text complexity, the results showed that the participants produced longer texts and demonstrated better comprehension when the narratives were more complex. Language variety was only associated with a difference in comprehension, with higher scores for the narratives presented in MSA. Older children produced longer texts and a higher number of ISTs. Finally, a three-way interaction emerged in the use of ISTs – while younger children produced more ISTs for the PA narratives, the older ones produced more of those for the MSA narratives. The study suggests that language variety and text complexity may exert different effects on narrative production and comprehension in Arabic-speaking preschool children.

Understanding visual narrative sequences, as found in comics, is known to recruit similar cognitive mechanisms to verbal language. As measured by event-related potentials (ERPs), these manifest as initial negativities (N400, LAN) and subsequent positivities (P600). While these components are thought to index discrete processing stages, they differentially arise across participants for any given stimulus. In language contexts, proficiency modulates brain responses, with smaller N400 effects and larger P600 effects appearing with increasing proficiency. In visual narratives, recent work has also emphasized the role of proficiency in neural response patterns. We thus explored whether individual differences in proficiency modulate neural responses to visual narrative sequencing in similar ways as in language. We combined ERP data from 12 studies examining semantic and/or grammatical processing of visual narrative sequences. Using linear mixed effects modeling, we demonstrate differential effects of visual language proficiency and “age of acquisition” on N400 and P600 responses. Our results align with those reported in language contexts, providing further evidence for the similarity of linguistic and visual narrative processing, and emphasize the role of both proficiency and age of acquisition in visual narrative comprehension.

Vocabulary is the key component of listening narrative comprehension, but its contribution has been scarcely investigated in bilingual children. This study aimed to examine (a) listening narrative comprehension and receptive vocabulary in L1 (Italian) and L2 (English) in preschool and first grade children; (b) the specific contribution of receptive vocabulary to listening narrative comprehension in both languages. Participants were 30 preschoolers and 32 first graders, who are all Italian children attending an international school in English. In both languages, receptive vocabulary was assessed through PPVT-R and listening narrative comprehension through TOR 3-8. The results showed that listening narrative comprehension was age appropriate in both languages but higher in L1. Lower vocabulary in L1 than L2 was found, and this difference is higher for preschoolers than for first grades; finally, two regressions performed on listening narrative comprehension in each language showed that only vocabulary in the same language accounted for listening narrative comprehension. Children obtain higher performance in L1; however, after a few years of L2 exposure in the educational context, language skills fall within the normal range, with some weakness in vocabulary. Vocabulary contribution to listening narrative comprehension is similar in both languages and specific for each.

Narrative comprehension involves a constant interplay of the accumulation of incoming events and their integration into a coherent structure. This study characterizes cognitive states during narrative comprehension and the network-level reconfiguration occurring dynamically in the functional brain. We presented movie clips of temporally scrambled sequences to human participants (male and female), eliciting fluctuations in the subjective feeling of comprehension. Comprehension occurred when processing events that were highly causally related to the previous events, suggesting that comprehension entails the integration of narratives into a causally coherent structure. The functional neuroimaging results demonstrated that the integrated and efficient brain state emerged during the moments of narrative integration with the increased level of activation and across-modular connections in the default mode network. Underlying brain states were synchronized across individuals when comprehending novel narratives, with increased occurrences of the default mode network state, integrated with sensory processing network, during narrative integration. A model based on time-resolved functional brain connectivity predicted changing cognitive states related to comprehension that are general across narratives. Together, these results support adaptive reconfiguration and interaction of the functional brain networks on causal integration of the narratives. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The human brain can integrate temporally disconnected pieces of information into coherent narratives. However, the underlying cognitive and neural mechanisms of how the brain builds a narrative representation remain largely unknown. We showed that comprehension occurs as the causally related events are integrated to form a coherent situational model. Using fMRI, we revealed that the large-scale brain states and interaction between brain regions dynamically reconfigure as comprehension evolves, with the default mode network playing a central role during moments of narrative integration. Overall, the study demonstrates that narrative comprehension occurs through a dynamic process of information accumulation and causal integration, supported by the time-varying reconfiguration and brain network interaction.

Does the default mode network (DMN) reconfigure to encode information about the changing environment? This question has proven difficult, because patterns of functional connectivity reflect a mixture of stimulus-induced neural processes, intrinsic neural processes and non-neuronal noise. Here we introduce inter-subject functional correlation (ISFC), which isolates stimulus-dependent inter-regional correlations between brains exposed to the same stimulus. During fMRI, we had subjects listen to a real-life auditory narrative and to temporally scrambled versions of the narrative. We used ISFC to isolate correlation patterns within the DMN that were locked to the processing of each narrative segment and specific to its meaning within the narrative context. The momentary configurations of DMN ISFC were highly replicable across groups. Moreover, DMN coupling strength predicted memory of narrative segments. Thus, ISFC opens new avenues for linking brain network dynamics to stimulus features and behaviour. Default mode network (DMN) is strongly modulated by idiosyncratic internal processes, but its involvement in processing external stimuli is unclear. Here, Simony and colleagues use an inter-subject functional correlation approach to extract DMN states that track stimulus features and behaviour.

Previous studies have presented discrepant findings of e-stories’ contribution to children’s narrative comprehension, which can be attributed to not only the variation of multimedia features among studies but also to learner and text features. The main goal of the present study was to expand understanding of the effect of e-stories on children’s narrative skills and reading attitudes for poor and good story comprehenders. A quasi-experimental factorial design was employed to explore the effect of book type and group level on children’s narrative skills and reading attitudes. The participating children were pre-readers. The printed version of The Red Winged Owl was read aloud to small groups of 4–5 children. Participants included 41 good and 40 poor comprehenders (age range 59–68 months) who were identified based on narrative comprehension scores. The experimental group was exposed to four e-stories on an iPad, while the control group listened to readings of the printed versions of the same storybooks. Data were collected by administering pre- and post-tests and the preschool reading attitudes scale and by asking narrative comprehension questions. Children’s retellings were audio-recorded. The findings revealed that (a) the poor and good comprehender groups had higher narrative comprehension in the short text e-story condition, (b) there was a significant interaction effect for the narrative comprehension of poor and good comprehenders in longer texts and (c) children’s post-reading attitude scores did not differ by group level.

We investigated the relations among theory of mind (ToM), mental state talk, and discourse comprehension. Specifically, we examined the frequency of mental state talk in children’s oral recall of narrative texts and informational texts, and relations between ToM, mental state talk (coding inclusion of mental state words in the recall of narrative and informational texts), and narrative and informational text comprehension. Results from Grade 4 children (N = 132; Mage = 10.39) revealed that a greater number of mental state talk instances appeared in children’s recall of narrative texts than informational texts, but the mean number also differed across texts within a genre. ToM skill predicted the extent of mental state talk in narrative texts and informational texts, and the relation was stronger for narrative texts than for informational texts, after accounting for vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, working memory, and attentional control. Mental state talk in narrative texts was extremely strongly related to narrative comprehension whereas mental state talk in informational texts was weakly related to informational text comprehension. Results suggest that ToM skill relates to mental state talk in the recall of texts, and both ToM and mental state talk play greater roles in comprehension of narrative texts than informational texts.

PET and fMRI studies suggest that auditory narrative comprehension is supported by a bilateral multilobar cortical network. The superior temporal resolution of magnetoencephalography (MEG) makes it an attractive tool to investigate the dynamics of how different neuroanatomic substrates engage during narrative comprehension. Using beta-band power changes as a marker of cortical engagement, we studied MEG responses during an auditory story comprehension task in 31 healthy adults. The protocol consisted of two runs, each interleaving 7 blocks of the story comprehension task with 15 blocks of an auditorily presented math task as a control for phonological processing, working memory, and attention processes. Sources at the cortical surface were estimated with a frequency-resolved beamformer. Beta-band power was estimated in the frequency range of 16–24 Hz over 1-sec epochs starting from 400 msec after stimulus onset until the end of a story or math problem presentation. These power estimates were compared to 1-second epochs of data before the stimulus block onset. The task-related cortical engagement was inferred from beta-band power decrements. Group-level source activations were statistically compared using non-parametric permutation testing. A story-math contrast of beta-band power changes showed greater bilateral cortical engagement within the fusiform gyrus, inferior and middle temporal gyri, parahippocampal gyrus, and left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) during story comprehension. A math-story contrast of beta power decrements showed greater bilateral but left-lateralized engagement of the middle frontal gyrus and superior parietal lobule. The evolution of cortical engagement during five temporal windows across the presentation of stories showed significant involvement during the first interval of the narrative of bilateral opercular and insular regions as well as the ventral and lateral temporal cortex, extending more posteriorly on the left and medially on the right. Over time, there continued to be sustained right anterior ventral temporal engagement, with increasing involvement of the right anterior parahippocampal gyrus, STG, MTG, posterior superior temporal sulcus, inferior parietal lobule, frontal operculum, and insula, while left hemisphere engagement decreased. Our findings are consistent with prior imaging studies of narrative comprehension, but in addition, they demonstrate increasing right-lateralized engagement over the course of narratives, suggesting an important role for these right-hemispheric regions in semantic integration as well as social and pragmatic inference processing.

We examined the relative contribution of auditory processing abilities (tone perception and speech perception in noise) after controlling for short-term memory capacity and vocabulary, to narrative language comprehension in children with developmental language disorder. Two hundred and sixteen children with developmental language disorder, ages 6 to 9 years (Mean = 7; 6), were administered multiple measures. The dependent variable was children's score on the narrative comprehension scale of the Test of Narrative Language. Predictors were auditory processing abilities, phonological short-term memory capacity, and language (vocabulary) factors, with age, speech perception in quiet, and non-verbal IQ as covariates. Results showed that narrative comprehension was positively correlated with the majority of the predictors. Regression analysis suggested that speech perception in noise contributed uniquely to narrative comprehension in children with developmental language disorder, over and above all other predictors; however, tone perception tasks failed to explain unique variance. The relative importance of speech perception in noise over tone-perception measures for language comprehension reinforces the need for the assessment and management of listening in noise deficits and makes a compelling case for the functional implications of complex listening situations for children with developmental language disorder.

Visual narratives make use of various means to convey referential and co-referential meaning, so comprehenders must recognize that different depictions across sequential images represent the same character(s). In this study, we investigated how the order in which different types of panels in visual sequences are presented affects how the unfolding narrative is comprehended. Participants viewed short comic strips while their electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. We analyzed evoked and induced EEG activity elicited by both full panels (showing a full character) and refiner panels (showing only a zoom of that full panel), and took into account whether they preceded or followed the panel to which they were co-referentially related (i.e., were cataphoric or anaphoric). We found that full panels elicited both larger N300 amplitude and increased gamma-band power compared to refiner panels. Anaphoric panels elicited a sustained negativity compared to cataphoric panels, which appeared to be sensitive to the referential status of the anaphoric panel. In the time-frequency domain, anaphoric panels elicited reduced 8-12 Hz alpha power and increased 45-65 Hz gamma-band power compared to cataphoric panels. These findings are consistent with models in which the processes involved in visual narrative comprehension partially overlap with those in language comprehension.

Viewers' attentional selection while looking at scenes is affected by both top-down and bottom-up factors. However, when watching film, viewers typically attend to the movie similarly irrespective of top-down factors-a phenomenon we call the tyranny of film. A key difference between still pictures and film is that film contains motion, which is a strong attractor of attention and highly predictive of gaze during film viewing. The goal of the present study was to test if the tyranny of film is driven by motion. To do this, we created a slideshow presentation of the opening scene of Touch of Evil. Context condition participants watched the full slideshow. No-context condition participants did not see the opening portion of the scene, which showed someone placing a time bomb into the trunk of a car. In prior research, we showed that despite producing very different understandings of the clip, this manipulation did not affect viewers' attention (i.e., the tyranny of film), as both context and no-context participants were equally likely to fixate on the car with the bomb when the scene was presented as a film. The current study found that when the scene was shown as a slideshow, the context manipulation produced differences in attentional selection (i.e., it attenuated attentional synchrony). We discuss these results in the context of the Scene Perception and Event Comprehension Theory, which specifies the relationship between event comprehension and attentional selection in the context of visual narratives.

INTRODUCTION The narrative skills of children with cochlear implants (CIs) are fragile, but the factors at play and whether these difficulties could be similar to those detected in language impairment are not clear. The present study aims to assess, at the microstructural level, narrative skills, comparing children with CIs with children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) or Typical Development (TD). Furthermore, the relationship between verbal (lexical and morphosyntactic) comprehension and narrative skills across groups is investigated. METHODS The narratives of 19 children with CIs (Mage = 62.42 months, SD = 6.83), 13 children with DLD (Mage = 65.38 months, SD = 4.27), and 18 preschool children with TD (Mage = 63.67 months, SD = 4.31) were assessed in a standardized task. Articles, prepositions, pronouns, gender and number agreement, accuracy in the use of verbs, and number of arguments in each sentence were analysed. Lexical and morphosyntactic comprehension were also assessed. Performance was compared across groups using ANOVAs or Kruskal-Wallis tests. The role of lexical and morphosyntactic comprehension in predicting each morphological and syntactic element in the narrative task was examined using linear regressions. RESULTS Data analysis showed that both children with CIs and DLD had fragilities in narration, both in the morphological and syntactic components. Although some differences between children with CIs and those with DLD emerged in descriptive analyses, these were not statistically significant. Regressions showed that morphosyntactic comprehension predicted the number of pronouns produced only in the TD group. CONCLUSIONS The scarce differences between CI and DLD groups and the absence of an effect of morphosyntactic comprehension on pronoun production may be due to their low production of these elements in the narrative task and/or to a difficulty in managing pronouns in an expressive task regardless of their ability to comprehend them. Potential implications of these results are discussed.

BACKGROUND The 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11DS) is associated with language deficits and weak intellectual functioning. In other clinical groups, linguistic and cognitive difficulties have been associated with impaired acquisition of narrative abilities. However, little is known about the narrative abilities of children with 22q11DS. AIMS To describe the ability of children with 22q11DS to produce and comprehend narrative macrostructure. Additionally, to examine the role of intellectual functioning in explaining their narrative difficulties. METHODS AND PROCEDURES Narrative skills of 14 school-aged children with 22q11DS were compared to those of younger typically developing (TD) children matched on mental age and same-aged peers with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). OUTCOMES AND RESULTS Children with 22q11DS had significantly lower scores on narrative comprehension than younger TD children. No significant differences emerged on narrative production. Children with 22q11DS and children with DLD did not differ significantly on any of the narrative measures. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Narrative comprehension in children with 22q11DS seems more affected than production. Narrative comprehension difficulties cannot be entirely explained by a low level of intellectual functioning. Narrative comprehension and production abilities in 22q11DS require further consideration.

The limited variety of learning media in Grade IV Indonesian language lessons, particularly in local content on narrative texts, has led to low student interest and poor reading comprehension. To address this issue, this study developed and evaluated a Pop-Up Book learning medium enhanced with Augmented Reality (AR). This research involved Grade IV teachers, students, and expert reviewers. Data were collected through observations, interviews, tests, and questionnaires. The primary instruments were questionnaire sheets, while data were analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative descriptive techniques. Effectiveness was measured through pretest–posttest comparisons and N-gain analysis on small- and large-scale trials. Feasibility assessments yielded high scores: material experts (96.66%), media experts (98.75%), teacher responses (97.5%), and student responses (97.08%). Pretest–posttest results showed improved knowledge competence, with N-gain scores of 0.79 (small scale) and 0.66 (large scale), indicating the media was “quite effective” in enhancing reading comprehension. The integration of Pop-Up Books with AR technology provided interactive, visually engaging content that stimulated student interest and facilitated comprehension. The consistently high ratings from experts, teachers, and students confirm its quality and relevance to classroom needs. The AR-assisted Pop-Up Book is highly feasible, effective, and suitable for improving narrative text reading comprehension in Grade IV Indonesian language lessons. Its implementation can serve as an innovative approach to enhance learning engagement and outcomes.

This study examines the effectiveness of the Direct Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) technique in improving the ability of ninth-grade students at MTs Alkhairaat Alindau to understand and comprehend narrative texts. The main study inquiry investigates the efficacy of the DRTA technique in enhancing students' reading comprehension abilities. The research utilizes a quantitative methodology and follows a pre-experimental design, specifically employing a one-group pretest-posttest framework. The study included a total of 27 ninth-grade students, who serve as both the population and sample. The data gathering process involved administering pretests and posttests, while the analysis utilized descriptive statistics, T-tests, and hypothesis testing. The results suggest that the DRTA technique has a substantial positive impact on pupils' reading comprehension. The initial average score was 46.29, and the statistical analysis showed that the calculated t-value (6.998) was higher than the critical t-value (1.708), resulting in the rejection of the null hypothesis (H0) and acceptance of the alternative hypothesis (H1). These findings demonstrate that implementing the Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (DRTA) technique effectively enhances the narrative text reading comprehension of ninth-grade students at MTs Alkhairaat Alindau.

Research has shown that semantic analysis occurs at early stages of word processing (less than 200 ms). While traditional studies have focused on isolated words/sentences, our research explores rapid semantic processing during reading stories using event-related potentials and magnetoencephalography. We employed the rapid serial visual presentation paradigm to present texts word by word. Each word presentation lasted 150 ms, enhancing rapid semantic processing. We computed semantic dissimilarity (SD) values for each word and categorized them into quartiles to investigate their effect on brain responses. Our analysis revealed significant ERP differences within early time windows (120-132 ms). Two distinct clusters were identified: positive in the right occipital region and negative in the left temporal region. In both clusters less pronounced responses were registered for words with lowest SD which corresponds to theories of predictive coding. These findings broaden our understanding of rapid semantic processing and suggest new methodology.

The current study employed the event-related potential (ERP) technique to investigate predictive inference revision during Chinese narrative text reading among Chinese native speakers. Experiment 1 studied predictive inference revision by ensuring high contextual constraints for activation of the primary predictive inferences. Experiment 2 inspected the effects of the weaker inference alternatives on the revision process. Longer reading time and less positive mean average amplitude with two subcomponents of P300 (P3a and P3b) in the revise condition suggest that readers could detect inconsistent information and disconfirm the incorrect predictive inferences. However, they have difficulties in either integrating the alternative predictive inferences (N400) or revising the incorrect ones (P600), especially when the alternatives are of weaker activation levels. This study supports the Knowledge Revision Components (KReC) framework by verifying remaining activation of the disconfirmed primary inferences and extends it by considering effects of competitive alternatives on the predictive inference revision process.

This research discusses the usage of a game-based learning media to solve the problem of reading comprehension score poorly, namely Kahoot!. The objective of this research was to improve the students’ narrative text reading comprehension by using Kahoot as a media in the teaching and learning process. This research was classroom action research. The research was conducted to 25 students of eighth graders of Nusantara Krian junior high school. The research showed that by using Kahoot as media in the classroom learning could improve the students' narrative text reading comprehension. The students’ mean score on the pre-test was 64 and only 9 (36%) students were able to pass the minimum completeness criteria (KKM). The result score was under the KKM set by the school 75. The learners' mean score improved after the first cycle, rising to 71.2 and 13 (52%) students passed KKM. However, it showed still under minimum completeness criteria. It was therefore necessary for the second cycle, during which the score rose to 79,6 and 20 (80%) students passed the KKM. It was concluded that using Kahoot can improve the student’s narrative text reading comprehension. The students’ positive response to the usage of Kahoot in teaching and learning reinforced the improvement in the students' achievement.

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The study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the directed reading thinking activity strategy as a reading intervention strategy to enhance the reading performance of Grade 2 pupils. It utilized the one-group pretest-post-test design. The researcher employed the Early Grade Reading Assessment Tool (Pretest and Post-test) to identify whether the intervention strategy used was effective. There were 55 participants in the study who were given reading intervention. The researchers conducted the reading intervention for the pupils during their MTB-MLE class for three days every week. The results showed that there was an increase in the reading performance of the pupils after conducting the reading intervention. It was also revealed that in the study there were significant differences in the t-test result in all reading components. This further highlighted that the reading intervention which is a directed reading thinking activity strategy was effective. Thus, it is recommended that a reading intervention program that highlights the use of a directed reading thinking activity strategy will be used by teachers to improve the reading performance of their pupils.

Abstract: Reading is an important skill for students to have. Despite its importance, students in SMAN 1 Bluto still struggle in reading instruction. To solve this problem, Electronic Interactive Novel (EIN) has the potential to be used in teaching as a media to help students improve their reading skill. This research aims to investigate the use of EIN to improve the 10th grade students’ reading skill. The design of this study is classroom action research with 35 students of class 10-4 from SMAN 1 Bluto as the participants. The research instruments used are in the form of tests conducted at the end of each cycle, observation sheet with field notes, and questionnaire. The finding of the research shows that the implementation of EIN improves the students’ reading skill of narrative text in the teaching process and the test result. The result of evaluation carried out in end of cycle 1 was 46 percent students achieve the minimum score of 70. With that reasoning, the first cycle was considered unsuccessful. In cycle 2.89 percent students managed to achieve the minimum score of 70. Thus, the second cycle was deemed successful. Therefore, it can be concluded that Electronic Interactive Novels can be implemented to improve the narrative reading skill of tenth grade students. However, teachers need to pay great attention to the pace with which they conduct the instruction using EIN to make sure their students can follow well. Keywords: reading; electronic interactive novel; classroom action research Abstrak: Membaca adalah kemampuan penting untuk dimiliki oleh siswa. Tapi, siswa SMAN 1 Bluto masi mengalami kesulitan dalam pembelajaran membaca. Untuk menyelesaikan masalah ini, EIN memiliki potensi untuk digunakan sebagai media pembelajaran demi meningkatkan kemampuan membaca siswa. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memeriksa pengunaan Novel Interaktif Elektronik (EIN) dalam meningkatkan kemampuan membaca siswa kelas 10. Penilitan ini adalah penelitian tindakan kelas dengan 35 siswa kelas 10-4 SMAN 1 Bluto sebagai partisipan. Instrumen penelitian yang digunakan yaitu tes yang diadakan di akhir siklus, lembar observasi dengan catatan lapangan, dan kuesioner. Hasil temuan menunjukkan bahwa penggunaan EIN meningkatkan kemampuan membaca siswa. Hasil evaluasi siklus pertama menunjukkan 46 persen siswa dapat mencapai nilai minimal yaitu 70. Dengan pertimbangan tersebut, siklus pertama dianggap tidak berhasil. Pada siklus kedua, 89 persen siswa mampu mencapai nilai minimal, sehingga siklus kedua dinilai berhasil. Maka, dapat disimpulkan bahwa Novel Interaktif Elektronik dapat digunakan untuk meningkatkan kemampuan siswa membaca teks naratif. Dengan catatan, guru harus memperhatikan laju proses pembelajaran agar siswa dapat mengikuti dengan baik. Kata kunci: membaca; novel interaktif elektronik; penelitian tindakan kelas

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This study aims to provide students' perceptions of how to use digital storytelling in the classroom to facilitate their understanding of reading narrative texts. The research sample consists of eighth-graders from the Islamic junior high school SMPIT IQRA. In this study, a quantitative approach was paired with a descriptive research strategy. Using a closed-ended questionnaire, the study's researchers gathered data on how students felt about the use of digital storytelling in the instruction of reading narrative texts. Descriptive statistics were also used to examine the data, and tables displaying and discussing the results were created. According to the findings, most students firmly agreed with the following: students should find learning and teaching enjoyable; students should be able to comprehend when reading narrative texts; and students should use digital storytelling in the classroom. In summary, students' favorable opinions on using digital storytelling in reading instruction help them understand how to read narrative texts.

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This study was conducted to analyze students' reading comprehension of narrative texts. A qualitative descriptive method with observations, interviews, and documentation is utilized as instruments. The results showed that students had a variety of abilities in understanding narrative texts, from the interviews and existing observational data. Moreover, it was found that 11 students understood this material because they could explain the meaning, cite the examples, mention the general structure, and determine the general structure of narrative texts in the text entitled "Lake Toba." It was also found that four students understood this material quite well, but imperfectly because they did not mention all the general structures of narrative texts; the other five students did not understand this material because, during the interview, they could not explain the meaning, examples, and general structure of this material. based on the student's ability to answer the questions posed by the researcher.

With the development of technology that never stops year by year, the development of learning media also follows particularly from digital media and all device. All media has been massively used by teachers and instructors to make learning activities interesting. Teachers always keep searching to find new learning media to keep students’ moods are still in line. One of media that able to use in education field is video game. A few studies have looked into the impact of video game on students learning English especially for reading comprehension. However video games is full with content that can increasing students’ English skill especially on their reading comprehension. One of the video game that full with reading text and also has historical thing is Age of Empires II. This study purposed to see how video game influeced students’ reading comprehension on narrative text games. The study consisted of 72 students from MAN 1 Bandar Lampung in tenth grade. X MIA 3 and X MIA 4 were the class samples of this study. The effect of video games can be reflected in the multiple-choice students’ score. The writer used a quantitative and quasi-experimental method as the methodology with a random sampling approach. Multiple-choice test was used as the tool of test. The research findings in this study explain that video games has significantly impact.

Educational research is currently more dominated by the development of learning models. However, this has not shown satisfactory results because it tends not to be piloted or disseminated. The purpose of this study is to explain the effect of applying the reading to learn learning model on improving students' narrative text writing skills, especially junior high school students. The sample of this study was the 9th-grade students of SMPN 5 Padang Panjang, totaling 32 students. Data was collected by processing the results of the pretest in the form of performance obtained before the implementation of the reading to learn learning model and the post-test obtained after the implementation of the reading to learn learning model. Data were analyzed using the descriptive analysis method. Based on the results of data analysis, it was found that there was an increase in students' narrative text writing skills before and after the implementation of the reading to learn learning model. This increase can be seen from the number of scores obtained by students regarding the completeness of the narrative text structure from 68 to 89, the completeness of narrative elements from 60 to 75, and the application of EBI from 50 to 72. Therefore, this study can be useful to see the effectiveness of the reading to learn learning model toward students' writing skills and as a way out of writing problems.

Reading is important on every level of education; however, it is not all students success at reading. The troubles that they face are critical to discover. Hence, this investigation under this research aims to find the understudies' issues in story text reading. The researchers employed a qualitative approach with descriptive method. The setting was at SMPN 2 Kandangan. A number of 59 eighth grade students were involved in this study. The data were collected by using a questionnaire, interview and a reading comprehension test. It is revealed that almost all participants face problems in reading narrative text. The problems are determining main ideas, finding detailed information, making inference, identifying reference, and understanding meaning of words. The researchers suggested the English teacher to utilize cooperative learning strateg and teach technique to find vocabulary meaning by using clues.

Abstract: Reading comprehension is an essential skill that students need to master. It helps students to develop their knowledge, skill, and memory to prepare for real life challenges. However, students in Indonesia still experience reading comprehension problems. Both PISA and the National Reading Index show that Indonesian students’ literacy in Indonesian text is low. Previous research also indicate that most Indonesian students do not understand English texts especially narrative text. This study aimed to identify what problems the senior high school students faced in reading English texts and how many percent of them faced reading comprehension problems. The design of the study was a survey. The findings of this research reveal that 52% of the students had problems in vocabulary and 43.2% of the students had problems in background knowledge when reading English texts. Therefore, the students need to exercise more on their vocabulary and background knowledge skills by reading more narrative text. Keywords: reading comprehension problems, survey, narrative text Abstrak: Pemahaman membaca adalah keterampilan penting yang harus dikuasai oleh siswa. Ketrampilan tersebut dapat membantu siswa untuk mengembangkan pengetahuan, keterampilan, dan memori mereka untuk menghadapi tantangan di kehidupan nyata. Namun, siswa di Indonesia masih mengalami masalah dalam memahami bacaan. Survey dari PISA dan Indeks Literasi Nasional menunjukkan bahwa literasi siswa Indonesia dalam teks bahasa Indonesia masih rendah. Penelitian sebelumnya juga menunjukkan bahwa sebagian besar siswa Indonesia tidak memahami teks bahasa Inggris terutama teks naratif. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi masalah apa yang dihadapi siswa sekolah menengah atas dalam membaca teks bahasa Inggris dan berapa persen dari mereka yang masih ada masalah di pemahaman bacaan. Desain penelitian ini adalah survei. Temuan penelitian ini mengungkapkan bahwa 52% siswa memiliki masalah dalam kosakata dan 43,2% siswa memiliki masalah dalam pengetahuan latar belakang saat membaca teks bahasa Inggris. Oleh karena itu, siswa perlu lebih banyak melatih kosakata dan keterampilan pengetahuan latar belakang mereka dengan membaca lebih banyak teks naratif. Kata kunci: permasalahan dalam memahami bacaan, survei, teks naratif

This research investigates the application of scanning strategy in teaching ninth-grade EFL students’ reading comprehension of narrative text. The aim is to know whether the use of scanning strategy gives tremendous effect to the ninth-grade students’ reading comprehension of narrative text or not. The researchers proposed scanning because it is potential and powerful strategy to lift students’ better narrative text reading understanding. To prove that, the quantitative method is used in this study by conducting quasi-experimental design which involved two classes of ninth-grade students at one private secondary school in Bekasi. The experimented class was around 34 students as well as the controlled class which was around 34 students. The researchers used pre-test and post-test reading narrative text instruments within 20 questions that were asked by the WH-question pattern to collect the data. After the data have been collected, the researchers fulfilled the standard pre-requisite analysis of Normality and Homogeneity before the hypothesis statistic test. At the end, the hypothesis statistic findings showed that tobserved was known by score 6.905 while ttable was obtained 1.996 in the level of 5% significance. Because of tobserved was higher than ttable, itcan be concluded that the application of scanning strategy is effective in teaching the ninth-grade students’ reading comprehension of narrative text at one private secondary school in Bekasi.

Background: Reading is one of the crucial components of language learning. However, to understand the whole text in an interesting method, the teacher should provide learning media for students to enjoy while in a serious situation when reading a text. The Audiobook is a tool to read stories or text accompanied by audio recording. Objective: To find out the implementation and response of students in reading narrative texts while listening to audiobooks in their learning activities Methods: Using a qualitative method, with research data collection using observation and interview methods Results: This shows that the application of Storynory audiobooks is easy to apply in the classroom, students can understand narrative texts when using audiobooks. Responses from students and teachers indicate that they enjoy and are satisfied with learning using audiobooks. Conclusion: The application of Storynory audiobooks in teaching narrative text reading shows good responses from students and teachers, they enjoy and easily understand the text, and Storynory audiobooks can help students with their pronunciation of words. did not know before, students enjoy the learning process by using audiobook media. They can repeat the pronunciations they hear in the audio, meaning that audiobooks can introduce and improve students' vocabulary or unfamiliar words in the text.

This research deals with the effect of using skimming method in teaching reading comprehension  smk negeri 2 pematangsiantar on narrative text. The problem of this research are “what is the students’ ability in reading  without using skimming method at Grade XI students’ of SMK N.2 Pematangsiantar. What is the students’ ability in reading by using skimming method at Grade XI students’ of SMK N.2”. The purpose of this research are to find out the students’ ability in reading without using skimming method at grade XI students in SMK N 2 Pematangsiantar on reading narrative  text, to find out the the students ability in reading by using skimming method to the skill of grade XI students in SMK N 2 Pematangsiantar on reading narrative text. To answer the problem the researchers uses theories: Micklukey and Jefferies (2007), Grellet (2000), Milter (2001), Jhon and Dara (2005), David Nunan (1991), Douglas Newton (2000), Douglas Brown (2003), Rae Pica (2000), Roger Brown (1973), Ronald Carter (1998), Scoot Thornburry (2002), Wilga Rivers (1987), Diane Larsen (1990), Judi Willis (2008), Jack and Theodore (1986). The research design is a quantitative research. As an experimental research, it aims to know the effect of the technique that given and apply whether it influences to the object or no. In this research in collecting the data the researcher has to do three steps, they are pre-test, treatment, post-test. The researchers find out that the effect of using skimming method can increase the students’ skill in reading of narrative text. It can be proven from the test of students’ score in posttest of experimental class which the treatment the researchers did the treatment by using skimming method. By using skimming method, the students can increase their ability in reading of narrative text. 

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Visualization mental strategy is a strategy used to develop EFL students' story reading comprehension skills especially their ability to construct mental images the current study aims to Finding out the effectiveness of the visualization mental strategy on EFL university students story reading comprehension skills. There are no statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental groups in the reading comprehension skills at the recognition and the production levels at the post-test. Finding out the effectiveness of the visualization mental strategy on EFL university students’ reading comprehension skills: main idea, inference & critical thinking, written expression and vocabulary in context. In order to achieve the aims of the study and verify its hypotheses, the sample of study consists of 60 students have been randomly selected from Tikrit University/ collage of education for humanities / department of English /second stage during the academic year 2025-2026. It is divided into two equal groups experimental and control groups. The two groups are equalized in their parents’ attainment level, ages, their scores in previous year, and their achievement in the pretest. The researchers himself and the instructional material for a period of eight weeks have taught the two groups. The experimental group has been taught according to Visualization mental strategy, and the control group taught by using conventional method. An achievement test has been constructed validated, and applied to the two groups. The results showed that using Visualization mental strategy is more effective than using the conventional method for developing story reading comprehension skills.

Vietnamese education is completing a roadmap to change curricula and textbooks, so teachers and students are facing many difficulties and confusion. One of those difficulties is how to use extensive material in teaching reading comprehension to promote students' abilities and meet the requirements of innovative testing and assessment. This article presents research results on concepts and criteria for using extensive material and proposes a process for using extensive material through teaching reading comprehension of story texts with single-line plots for 8th grade students in Vietnam.

The purpose of this study is to find out the effects of story Reading on improving Reading comprehension and critical thinking of EFL students at Kandahar University. The design of the study was quasi-experimental with reading comprehension and critical thinking pre and Post-tests. Total 27 Afghan EFL students were selected based on their performance on Placement test. The participants’ experimental groups listened to their teacher reading a story aloud. In order to find the improvement and different between these variables is significant the Paired Sample T-Test was administrated and the result indicates that there is significant improvement in post-tests in areas of reading comprehension and critical thinking in story Reading. However, there is more improvement in critical thinking aspect through story reading.

This study is to examine: (1) to describe the implementation of using fable story to improve reading comprehension skill at the first grade of Mts Miftahul Ulum Gondang Rejo Gondang Wetan Pasuruan. (2) To know the students’ responses in reading comprehension skill by using fable story at first grade of MTs Miftahul Ulum Gondangrejo Gondangwetan Pasuruan. The researcher is carried out at Mts Miftahul Ulum Gondangrejo Gondangwetan Pasuruan on 23 April 2019, the method used for the research is descriptive qualitative. The data collection technique which is used in this research is observation checklist; it is used to obtain the data of the implementation of the fabled story to improve reading comprehension skill. The result of students responses that are taken from the interview, most of them gave positive reactions in reading comprehension skill by using fable story. And from the score of daily assessment, there are 13 students from 20 students answer the researcher’s question by the excellent answer in the 1st meeting and 15 students from 20 students respond in the 2nd meeting. It's mean that the responses students of MTs Miftahul Ulum Gondangrejo Gondangwetan Pasuruan are interested in the implementation of fable story to be the source of learning reading comprehension skill. Finally, the research can support further researcher. And it is recommended for the English teacher to apply fable story as a source in teaching reading comprehension skill. Moreover, students can comprehend simple text easily

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The main goal of this research is to know the effect of short story as a media to the students’ ability in reading comprehension. Short story can help the students at Grade Eight in SMP Negeri 9 Pematangsiantar to improve their ability in Reading Comprehension because the students had low motivation in reading. This research applied quantitative method. The population of this research at grade eight of SMP Negeri 9 Pematangsiantar.  The subject of this research is VIII-1 as experimental class consist of 30 students. and VIII-2 as the control class consist of 30 students. To analyze data, researcher used SPSS version 24, by conducting descriptive analysis, normality test, Wilcoxon test, Homogeneity test and Mann Whitney test. The results of data analysis using Mann Whitney test it is found that the Assymp value. Sig (2-tailed) on the Mann Whitney test is 0.000 < 0.05 Ha is accepted and H0 is rejected. According to the aforementiond data, it can be concluded that using short story as a media, has a more significant impact than the class that do not use short story to the students’ ability in reading comprehension on recount text at grade eight in SMP Negeri 9 Pematang Siantar. The result is the mean score of post-tests in experimental class is 88,50 and, in the control, class the score of post-test is 45,00. Based on the finding of this research, the researcher concludes that the alternative hypothesis (Ha) is accepted and null hypothesis (H0) is rejected.

ABSTRACT This meta-analysis examined which interactive features incorporated into children’s digital picture books influence story comprehension. Through a systematic literature review, we identified 20 relevant articles comparing picture books with and without interactive features, encompassing a total of 1,978 children between the ages of 2 and 8 years. We coded the interactive features in the digital books, specifically focusing on mini-games, questions, hotspots that trigger animations, sounds, or verbal comments—often to explain concepts or difficult words—and incentives for reader-performed actions that mirror those of the story’s characters. Research Findings: The effect sizes of interactive features on story comprehension were, on average, close to zero. In line with multimedia learning theory, studies incorporating mini-games negatively affected story comprehension, while those featuring actions aligned with story protagonist’s actions positively supported comprehension. Hotspots were particularly common, but neither hotspots nor questions effectively supported comprehension, likely because both introduce pauses that disrupt the natural flow of story processing. Practice or Policy: Our findings highlight that interactive digital books have the potential to help children understand stories, but this potential is realized in only a small fraction of the digital books included in the research. We recommend conducting further research on books specifically designed to incorporate features aligned with children’s cognitive processing.

With the development of multimedia technology, the electronic reading method has greatly increased the enthusiasm for reading among initially less motivated children. This form of reading exhibits considerable potential, underscoring the necessity of determining the impact of employing such novel software on the emergent reading of young children in China. The aim of this research investigation is to contrast the influences of electronic books and printed book reading on story comprehension and reading motivation in Chinese five-year-olds. Preschoolers participating in this study were randomly selected from three different classrooms in a public kindergarten in Chongqing, China. These participants were again assigned to electronic and printed book reading groups according to their pretest scores. During the four-week reading intervention period, each preschooler read a picture book once a week, for a total of two books. The results indicate that the incorporation of screen-based reading for preschoolers holds promise in reducing reading fatigue and fostering interest in reading. In addition, there was a notable disparity in story comprehension levels, even though varying reading mediums were used in the two groups.

Reading comprehension is one of the essential skills for students as they make a transition from learning to read to reading to learn. Over the last decade, the increased use of digital learning materials for promoting literacy skills (e.g., oral fluency and reading comprehension) in K-12 classrooms has been a boon for teachers. However, instant access to reading materials, as well as relevant assessment tools for evaluating students’ comprehension skills, remains to be a problem. Teachers must spend many hours looking for suitable materials for their students because high-quality reading materials and assessments are primarily available through commercial literacy programs and websites. This study proposes a promising solution to this problem by employing an artificial intelligence (AI) approach. We demonstrate how to use advanced language models (e.g., OpenAI’s GPT-2 and Google’s T5) to automatically generate reading passages and items. Our preliminary findings suggest that with additional training and fine-tuning, open-source language models could be used to support the instruction and assessment of reading comprehension skills in the classroom. For both automatic story and item generation, the language models performed reasonably; however, the outcomes of these language models still require a human evaluation and further adjustments before sharing them with students. Practical implications of the findings and future research directions are discussed.

This study is aimed to report elementary students' engagement and perception of the use of storytelling in reading comprehension. The use of storytelling as one of the oldest ways of human communication is already known. It is also one of the pedagogical tools to develop language skills in first, second, and foreign languages regardless of students' age, gender, and ethnicity. Storytelling proved to be more effective in language teaching than traditional teaching material because it is fun, engaging, and raises students' interest in listening to the stories as well as retelling them. Meanwhile, reading is a crucial aspect of life, improving brain performance, increasing knowledge, and sharpening memory. This research employed a case study with a qualitative approach. The participants of the study were 31 elementary school students.  The data were derived from classroom observations, questionnaires, and interviews. The results showed that the students engaged in the activity in storytelling class. The questionnaire and observational data indicated that the children responded positively to storytelling activity and engage the students to the reading class, motivating students' behavior and attitudes in EFL reading activity.  Drawing on the findings, pedagogically, this study implied story telling can be adopted as the scaffolding to engage students in reading comprehension situated in elementary school context.

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AbstractThe purpose of this research was to find out whether the use of story mapping technique is effective or not in improving students’ reading comprehension on the narrative text at Senior High Schools in Luwu Utara. This research applied pre-experimental design. The population of this research was the tenth grade students SMAN 3 Luwu Utara. The samples of this research were 10 students. The sampling technique in this research was purposive sampling. The instrument of this research was reading test of narrative texts. The researcher gave pretest and posttest to the students. SPSS 20 was used to analyze the data. The result of this research showed that the use of story mapping technique in in improving students’ reading comprehension is effective. It proved by the result of the data indicated that there was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test. The mean score in the pre-test was 47.80 and the mean score in the post-test was 81.40. The value of t0 (ttest) = 8.297, the value of tt (ttable) = 2.262 at the level of significance is 5% (0,05) with degree of freedom (df) = 9. Based on the result namely 8.297> 2,262 or t0 (ttest) was higher than tt (ttable), t0 > tt, it means that the story mapping technique is effective in improving students’ reading comprehension on the narrative text at Senior High School No. 3 in Luwu Utara. Key Words: Reading Comprehension, Narrative Text, Story Mapping Technique. 

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In early education, reading difficulties can lead to negative outcomes. Augmented reality (AR) storybooks combine the benefits of e-books and print books, significantly aiding children's reading skills and gaining recognition from scholars and educators. However, the existing AR storybooks often overlook the design of interactive features, which may explain the inconsistent findings in research on their impact. This study aims to embed interactive tasks into AR storybooks and investigate their effects on children's reading engagement, story retelling, and reading comprehension. In total, 40 children aged eight to ten years were invited to participate in the reading activity. They were randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group used AR storybooks that included interactive tasks, requiring them to complete various activities during reading. The control group used AR storybooks without interactive tasks, which provided multisensory experiences. Throughout the activity, researchers observed each child's reading engagement and completed a reading engagement assessment form. At the end of the activity, all children completed story retelling and reading comprehension tests. Finally, both groups of children participated in semistructured interviews for cross validation. The study found that children in the experimental group showed significantly higher levels of reading engagement, story retelling, and reading comprehension than children in the control group. While multimedia elements in AR storybooks can increase children's reading engagement, a large part of that engagement is driven by children's focus on AR elements. However, interactive tasks shift children's engagement more toward the story content. We also discovered that interactive tasks are a key factor in encouraging children to think actively and serve as an effective strategy for guiding them to focus on the main issues in the story. In addition, the strategy search decision feedback within the interactive tasks greatly aids children in understanding and remembering the story.

The objective of the research were to find out whether or not the use of Humor Story can improve the students’ reading comprehension and Students interest at the Eighth of SMP Negeri 4 Pancarijang. This research employed a mixed method that applied monolingual class. The population of this research was the eighth grade students in academic year 2018-2019. There were 65 students spread in 3 classes ( VIII.1, VIII.2, and VIII.3) and each class consist appropriately 20-22 students. The researcher took simple random and chose VIII.2 as the representative and the number of total sample is 21 students. The data of the research were collected by using two kinds of instruments, namely reading comprehension test and questionnaire. Reading test was used to obtain data of the students’ reading comprehension ability and questionnaire was used to know the students interest in Reading Comprehension by using Humor Story. The result of data analysis showed that there was significant difference between the students’ score after they were taught by using Humor Story and before they were taught by Humor Story. It was proved by the mean score of the post-test which was higher than the mean score of pre-test (57.57>40.33). Furthermore, the result of the p-value (0.000) was lower than level of significant (α = 0.05); which means that H1 was accepted.  Then, the analysis of interest by using Likert Scale indicated that teacing reading comprehension by using humor story, the students were interested. It was proved by 57% students who were strongly interested, 33% students who were interested and 10% students who were moderate. Based on data analysis, the research concluded that: (1) the use of Humor Story effective in improves students’ reading comprehension; (2) the use of Humor Story makes the students interested to learn reading comprehension

Although research on the home literacy environment and its impact on early literacy has long focused on mothers, the past decade has seen a shift in scholarly attention to the role of fathers. Building on this shift, we examined whether the nature of parent–child interactions during shared storybook reading varies with parent gender, child gender and the interaction between the two, and we analysed whether possible differences in the nature of mother– and father–child interactions are related to story comprehension. We made video observations of mothers and fathers within 36 relatively highly educated families reading a storybook with their kindergartener (age 4 – 5) and registered the use of cognitively challenging (i.e. decontextualized) talk during these activities. After each shared reading session, we additionally administered a test assessing children’s understanding of the story being read. Two-way mixed ANOVA’s revealed no effects of parent gender or child gender on either the use of cognitively challenging talk or children’s story comprehension, nor did we find interaction effects of parent and child gender. The extent of cognitively challenging talk was significantly correlated to children’s comprehension scores for fathers, but not for mothers. This correlation seems to have masked another association, however: when correlations were computed separately for girls and boys, we found that the proportion of cognitively challenging utterances of both parents was correlated to comprehension scores for boys, but not for girls. The absence of parent gender effects provides further insights into the way mothers and fathers shape interactions during shared reading, but also stresses the need for studies with larger, more diverse samples. The observation that more frequent use of cognitively challenging talk was paralleled by better story comprehension for boys invites further research on the specific effects of shared reading for boys.

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This study investigates how interactive features embedded in the illustrations of storybook apps influenced young readers’ story enjoyment and comprehension. Kindergartners and second graders (N = 91) were randomly assigned to read storybook apps in an interactive or noninteractive condition. Findings showed that children’s self-reported enjoyment did not differ when storybook apps had interactive versus noninteractive illustrations. However, children in the interactive condition scored higher on comprehension items than children in the noninteractive condition, particularly when more story-related interactions were available. Further exploration found storybook apps with interactive illustrations explicitly related to the story promoted recall especially for younger readers, whereas those implicitly related to the story promoted inferences especially for readers with advanced skills. Results suggest that interactive illustrations in storybook apps can promote comprehension outcomes and that the nature of story-related interactive features embedded in storybook apps may uniquely support different comprehension outcomes (recall vs. inference).

This study investigates the relationships between different types of storytelling ads, narrative transportation, retrospective reflexivity, and attitude toward the brand, along with the moderating role of independent and interdependent self‐construal. To this end, using a mixed‐methods approach, we conduct three experimental studies, one survey‐based study, and one field study with a representative sample of US participants. The findings reveal that narrative transportation and retrospective reflexivity mediate the relationship between different types of storytelling ads and attitudes toward the brand. We also find that audiences high on independent (vs. interdependent) self‐construal have a more positive attitude towards storytelling ads narrated by brand owners (vs. customers). The findings contribute to the narrative transportation theory and provide meaningful managerial implications for marketers, brand owners, companies, and advertising professionals.

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Consumers are inundated with opportunities to become engaged with marketing‐generated stories, from watching an influencer detail her adventures abroad or a commercial about a military service member who makes it home just in time for the holidays. When consumers become so engaged with a story that they begin to connect with the story characters and imagine what will happen next, they experience a process known as narrative transportation, which has significant positive outcomes for marketers. Given the value that narrative transportation provides to marketers, we conduct a systematic literature review to both synthesize and provide direction on the literature of narrative transportation. From our analysis of 95 peer‐reviewed articles, we identify relevant theoretical foundations and concepts (antecedents, outcomes, and moderators) employed in these articles. Using these results as our foundation, we detail how narrative transportation has evolved in terms of both the presentation of the story and the antecedents that affect narrative transportation. Further, we present a conceptual model that will represent the next iteration of the narrative transportation framework and suggest avenues for future research. In doing so, we enable researchers to continue the exploration of the narrative transportation construct.

Abstract Firms run advertising contests to co-create brand value with consumers. The resulting ads persuade viewers and promote electronic word-of-mouth communications that are part of the dynamic process of value co-creation. Built on narrative transportation theory, this research investigates viewers’ cognitive (i.e. realism, identification, transportation, ad and brand attitudes), affective (i.e. feelings) and behavioral intentions (i.e. electronic word-of-mouth and purchase intentions) toward a co-created story ad. A convergent, mixed-methods research was conducted. Study 1 used in-depth, qualitative netnographic data (online comments) to explore, through text mining, viewers’ responses to an ad. Study 2 used self-reported measures to quantitatively test a model of narrative persuasion with the same ad. The results showed that the ad transported viewers into its narrative world and provoked positive affective responses that enhanced viewers′ ad/brand attitudes and word-of-mouth and purchase intentions. The word-of-mouth promoted the ad and co-created brand meaning, inside and outside the contest setting.

Virtual reality (VR) is a promising new technology that has gained attention from industry and academia, focusing on immersing consumers in simulated services and experiences and, more recently, on recognizing the emerging trend of video watching using VR headsets. The growing importance of VR and emerging behaviors highlight two understudied topics: the role of VR in consumer engagement and which product categories are most effective for advertising in the VR channel. This study addresses these gaps in the context of VR 360° video watching by investigating whether the immersive capabilities of VR can boost consumer engagement, the psychological process underlying VR product ad viewing, and the role played by product typologies (i.e., hedonic–utilitarian, and search–experience). Grounded on information processing and narrative transportation theories, our multi‐methods approach—five studies, blending experiments and secondary data—reveals that VR bolsters consumers' engagement when watching 360° content through narrative transportation, influenced by the processing of incongruent information triggered by exposure to products with incongruent typologies (e.g., a utilitarian–experience product). Such incongruence decreases engagement when ads are viewed in a low‐immersion 2D channel. Counterintuitively, the immersive nature of VR can offset this decline, restoring engagement to levels observed with congruent typologies.

ABSTRACT The rise of augmented reality (AR) technology offers potential opportunities for the tourism industry and academia. Drawing upon narrative transportation and presence theory, this paper investigates the relationship between vividness, narrative transportation, sense of presence, and visiting other AR destination. The empirical findings indicate that vividness enhances narrative transportation and sense of presence in the AR-presented heritage tourism. In addition, narrative transportation nurtures sense of presence and triggers intention to visit other AR destinations. This paper contributes to narrative transportation theory and presence theory in an AR tourism marketing context and provides managerial insights for incorporating AR into effective destination marketing.

This study investigates how individual cognitive and affective traits shape viewers’ intentions to watch films promoted through short-video platforms. Drawing on narrative transportation theory and the Extended Transportation-Imagery Model, we propose that need for cognition influences viewing intention directly and indirectly through narrative transportation, with emotional contagion moderating this indirect pathway. Data were collected from 362 Chinese users of Douyin and Kwai through an online survey and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results show that individuals with higher need for cognition experience stronger narrative transportation and demonstrate higher intention to watch the promoted film. Narrative transportation serves as a significant mediator, revealing its central role in translating cognitive engagement into behavioral intention. Emotional contagion further strengthens the relationship between narrative transportation and intention, indicating that viewers who are more susceptible to emotional synchrony are more likely to convert immersive experiences into action. These findings extend narrative persuasion theory to short-form media and highlight the joint contributions of cognition and emotion in digital film marketing. The study offers practical implications for audience segmentation and the design of personalized promotional content on short-video platforms.

Films are crucial information sources for destination selection. This study explores how food involvement and place attachment influence the perception of destination food through narrative transportation in food-themed films. The study also considers the moderating role of consumers’ perceived deception in video advertising. A total of 287 samples were randomly collected from eastern, central, southern and northern China. Participants were asked to watch a video and then completed a questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypotheses. The results reveal that in the combined model, food involvement and place attachment affect the image of destination food, either directly or via narrative transportation. For the low-deceptive perception group, place attachment maintained the same relationships with other variables, whereas food involvement only had a direct relationship with the image. For the high-deceptive perception group, viewers with familiarity must feel transported in the film to generate a higher food image. Marketing planners can use familiarity types to enhance narrative transportation in film-induced tourism. Credible marketing videos with authentic storytelling elements can build trust and immersion. Strong food identity, tied to place attachment, helps destinations become memorable, making emotional storytelling a key tool for promoting local cuisine. This study extends narrative transportation theory by identifying the effects of familiarity typology and highlighting the indispensability of narrative transportation in film watching.

This study examines the impact of fiction and film on climate change beliefs. Using data from a nationally representative survey of 2045 individuals conducted in April–May 2022, we examine whether individuals who watched the satirical film Don't Look Up, which debuted on Netflix in December 2021, demonstrated greater climate change concern, motivation to act, and policy support than those who did not see the film. We also examine the impact of narrative transportation on persuasion, assessing whether being deeply immersed in the film predicted climate change attitudes. Our results indicate that viewers who were deeply engaged with the film held stronger proenvironmental attitudes. These associations occurred among both Democratic and Republican viewers, suggesting that transportation induced by entertainment media can shape public opinion on policy issues. Our results have implications for the micro and macro levels of the Narrative Policy Framework and for climate change communication, more generally.

ABSTRACT Virtual co-creation is emerging as a new form of consumer participation in destination social responsibility (DSR). However, existing research lacks sufficient insights into how this form of participation affects consumers’ psychological perceptions and destination brand attitudes. Drawing on the lens of narrative transportation, this study explores how virtual DSR co-creation impact destination brand attitude. Through three scenario-based experiments, this study found that virtual DSR co-creation can promote destination brand attitude, with narrative transportation mediating this relationship. Furthermore, the results revealed that the mediating effect of narrative transportation is moderated by narrative structure. The findings provide theoretical and practical implications for tourism destinations to manage social responsibility communication.

Abstract We proposed a model of narrative transportation as a leisure experience and conducted two experimental studies to test select components. Consistent with previous conceptualizations of leisure, the model includes a motivational component (engagement), determinants (self-relevance, discourse structure, verisimilitude, music, and visual aids), and downstream effects (perceived value of time spent, proclivity to recommend, delight, and inclination to act). In Study 1, 306 youth were randomly assigned to a self-relevance instruction group (received self-relevance instructions or no-self-relevance instructions) and one of six modernized parables using one of three discourse structures (suspense, surprise, or curiosity). In Study 2, during an educational travel experience to Spain, 18 youths were told fictional stories in the sites visited each day. Storytelling techniques (self-relevance, verisimilitude, use of music, and use of visual aids) were systematically varied across the eight stories, resulting in 144 experience observations. Results support the proposed model of narrative transportation in leisure.

Climate change, characterized by intricate scientific foundations and far-reaching implications, presents significant societal and individual challenges. We examined how storytelling and narrative transportation can enhance climate change education by influencing self-efficacy, content interest, and climate change anxiety. Narrative transportation is the imaginary journey readers take while focusing their attention on a story. Using a Taguchi design, we constructed eight versions of a climate change story, manipulating story ending, fictionality, collective identity, and verisimilitude. University students read one of the stories and completed a questionnaire. Reading the story increased self-efficacy expectancies by 28% (p < .001). Narrative transportation significantly increased content interest and was positively correlated with climate change anxiety. Fictionality moderated the relationship between narrative transportation and self-efficacy. The relation between narrative transportation and self-efficacy was stronger for nonfiction stories. Verisimilitude increased narrative transportation and improved learning outcomes. Self-involvement increased narrative transportation. Self-relevant stories yielded narrative transportation. Realistic, personally relevant stories enhance climate change education by increasing narrative transportation and learning outcomes. 

In the context of increasingly competitive digital markets, it was important to understand how narrative transportation could increase purchase intention and produce online brand advocates. This study addressed the gap in prior research by examining the effect of narrative transportation on affective brand engagement. It also considered whether narrative transportation directly affected online brand advocacy and purchase intention in a virtual world. A quantitative approach was adopted, and a survey was distributed to Mercedes fans and users. The dataset contained a sample of 270 consumers, and the data were analysed using SPSS AMOS 23 to perform structural equation modeling. The results showed that narrative transportation had a positive effect on affective brand engagement in a virtual world. Similarly, the results indicated that narrative transportation strengthened online brand advocacy and purchase intention. By contrast, the findings revealed that emotional engagement did not directly impact online brand advocacy or purchase intention. These findings were regarded as valuable contributions to understanding how the transformation of storytelling into storydoing could engage consumers seeking captivating brand experiences. Future research could examine this study across other product categories to validate the generalizability of the findings, as well as incorporate additional variables to enrich the current model.

Approximately 80 million US adults—one in four—are infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes cancers of the cervix in women, cancers of the anus, penis, and throat in men, and genital warts in both sexes. Although HPV vaccinations are safe, effective, easily affordable, and readily available, a substantial percentage of parents resist recommendations to vaccinate their children against HPV. The current study tests the effects of different vaccination advocacy message strategies on attitudes toward HPV vaccination. Study participants (N = 963) were randomly assigned to one of four message conditions (a narrative story, an informational fact sheet, an appeal from an expert spokesperson, or an identical appeal from a nonexpert spokesperson) and assessed for change in attitude toward HPV vaccination along with levels of elaboration, narrative transportation, and freedom threat caused by the messages. Analyses showed that the messages’ effects on attitude change were mediated by transportation and moderated by freedom threat. With the informative, expert, and nonexpert messages, increased message engagement produced increased freedom threat. With the narrative message, increased message engagement produced reduced levels of freedom threat. For risk communicators and planners of health interventions, the results suggest benefits for using a nonexpert advocacy message when levels of message engagement are expected to be low and using a story‐based narrative advocacy message when levels of message engagement are expected to be high.

With recent advancements in technologies such as artificial intelligence and computer‐generated imagery, virtual influencers (VIs) have become prominent branding tools that command high engagement rates. Most extant research explores the marketing outcomes of using VIs in brand campaigns. However, little is known about how interacting with VIs on social media platforms may affect consumers' well‐being. This research takes a comprehensive approach, developing a nuanced understanding of whether (and how) human‐like VIs (HVIs) impact consumers' well‐being. We employ a conceptual development approach drawing on scholarship from influencer marketing, narrative transportation, and consumer well‐being and gather additional support for the conceptual framework from data collected by interviewing 25 followers of HVIs. The conceptual framework proposes that when interacting with influencers' social media posts, followers experience narrative transportation, which positively influences followers' hedonic and eudaimonic well‐being. However, the conceptual framework also proposes that these relationships are moderated by the type of influencer (human vs. virtual) sharing the post. Specifically, we suggest that interactions with HVIs provide followers with enjoyment (hedonic well‐being) and support their self‐acceptance, personal growth, relationships, and autonomy (eudaimonic well‐being). We also provide initial evidence of the favorable marketing outcomes of enhanced well‐being from engagement with HVIs, including contemplation of brand purchase. The study thus advances extant VI literature by proposing a theoretically and empirically informed conceptual model that examines HVIs' influence on consumer well‐being. Also, it contributes to addressing the broader calls for research on the impact of social media and influencer marketing on consumer well‐being.

RÉSUMÉ:Le transport narratif – le degré d'immersion du lecteur dans un récit – est un nouveau terme que les cartographes ont emprunté à la psychologie sociale. Le transport dans les récits incite les lecteurs à éprouver des émotions et des motivations fortes à l'égard du contenu, à s'y immerger physiquement et psychologiquement et à souscrire aux croyances, aux attitudes et aux comportements implicites du récit. Dans le présent article, les auteurs analysent les publications sur le transport narratif pour fournir des suggestions concrètes aux cartographes qui conçoivent des cartes narratives. Plus précisément, ils décrivent comment intégrer les principes clés du transport narratif, tels que la cognition, l'émotion et l'imagerie, dans des cartes narratives. Ensuite, ils décrivent que les cartographes devraient taire de l'information pour créer du mystère, expliciter les aspects de causalité et les aspects non linéaires d'un récit et créer des intrigues et des personnages auxquels les lecteurs peuvent s'identifier pour mieux raconter des récits à l'aide de cartes. Ils concluent par la description des façons dont les cartographes de recherche peuvent utiliser le transport narratif, et notamment l'échelle de transport, pour mesurer à quel point les lecteurs sont transportés dans une carte narrative.ABSTRACT:Narrative transportation – the extent to which a reader is drawn into a story – is a new term for cartographers borrowed from social psychology. Transporting stories lead readers to develop strong emotions and motivations about the content, physically and psychologically immerse themselves, and take on beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours implied in the story. In this article, the authors review the literature on narrative transportation to provide concrete suggestions for cartographers designing storytelling maps. Specifically, they describe how to integrate the key concepts of narrative transportation – cognition, emotion, and imagery – into storytelling maps. Second, they describe how cartographers should hold back information to create intrigue, make causality and non-linear aspects of a story explicit, and create plots and characters that readers can identify to better tell stories with maps. Finally, they conclude by describing how research cartographers might use narrative transportation and specifically the transportation scale to measure how much readers are transported into a storytelling map.

ABSTRACT The present study explores the effects of reading and translating violent content on translation students’ affect, narrative transportation and strategies to reproduce manner information in the target text. Our hypotheses predict that negatively valenced content will influence translation students’ strategic behavior, levels of affect and narrative transportation differently from more neutral, positive content both after reading and translating. Results show that students added more manner information and made more mistakes in the negative text than in the neutral one. Violent content does not significantly impact students’ levels of negative affect, but increases their levels of narrative transportation to a greater extent than neutral content both after reading and translating. Nevertheless, results point to the greater potential of translation to foster narrative transportation.

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Introduction Understanding how humans perceive and engage with fictional characters—particularly antagonists—offers valuable insights into narrative comprehension and moral cognition. Antagonists, as morally complex figures, challenge readers’ ethical frameworks and stimulate affective and cognitive responses. This review aims to synthesize current research on the neural mechanisms involved in the perception and evaluation of antagonistic characters in narrative contexts. Methods This systematic review analyzed findings from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies investigating brain activity during narrative processing, with a focus on moral and emotional evaluations of fictional antagonists. Studies were selected based on relevance, methodological rigor, and use of narrative-based stimuli. Key variables included participant demographics, types of antagonists, and narrative formats used in experimental paradigms. Results Findings indicate that the default mode network (DMN), particularly the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), is consistently activated during moral and emotional evaluations of characters. Neural synchronization in areas such as the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) suggests that character relatability significantly influences engagement and brain activity. Variations across studies point to the influence of narrative style and participant background on neural responses. Discussion The evidence highlights the central role of the DMN in processing complex moral narratives and suggests that engagement with antagonistic characters involves both emotional resonance and ethical judgment. However, the generalizability of findings is limited by factors such as a lack of demographic diversity and inconsistent experimental designs. Future research should prioritize ecologically valid methodologies and diverse participant samples. This review emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary approaches combining neuroscience, psychology, and literary studies to deepen our understanding of narrative engagement.

A Cognitive Stylistic Exploration of Narrative Positioning and Reader Engagement in 1984, examines how deixis, context-dependent linguistic expressions shapes narrative perspective and influences readers engagement. The study focuses on George Orwell’s 1984, a novel set in a dystopian world. This analysis uses Cognitive Deixis Theory and Deictic Shift Theory to look at how shifts in spatiotemporal, perceptual, and psychological deixis affect narrative positioning, which boosts emotional and cognitive engagement.  This research highlights the importance of deictic tactics in dystopian fiction by using cognitive stylistics, which links language patterns to how we think. This approach helps to enhance themes of surveillance and ideological coercion by controlling the viewpoint.  The results show that deixis is really important as a stylistic tool for creating narrative authority and connecting with readers. It helps us understand more about how language, thought, and power interact in speculative fiction. Furthermore, this study adds to the conversation about narrative empathy and the manipulation of texts, highlighting the critical role of cognitive methodologies in literary analysis.

This study explores how digital comic application interfaces affect reader comprehension, cognitive processing, and narrative engagement. As comic reading transitions from print to digital platforms, app-based interfaces such as full-page multi-panel layouts, guided view sequences, and single-frame scrolling fundamentally reshape the reader’s narrative experience. This research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining a general survey (N = 84), a controlled reading experiment (N = 24), and interviews with five professional comic artists to examine how different interface designs influence readers’ visual narrative processing. Participants read identical comic content through three distinct interface modes, followed by immediate recall tasks and engagement assessments using the User Engagement Scale (UES). Visual Language Fluency Index (VLFI) scores were used to analyze individual differences in cognitive processing. Results indicate that guided view interfaces significantly enhance narrative recall and emotional engagement among readers with lower visual language fluency, while higher-fluency readers preferred full-page layouts for their flexibility and richer visual context. The single-frame format was found to simplify comprehension in complex narratives but reduce perceived esthetic satisfaction. Interviews with comic artists further revealed that app interfaces influence not only readers but also creative practices, particularly in pacing, panel composition, and the use of visual cues. The study concludes that interface design is not a passive vessel but an active agent in shaping digital reading cognition and experience. These findings have implications for digital literacy, interface usability, and the evolving storytelling strategies in digital comic media. Plain Language Summary How Comic Application Interface Designs Affect How People Read, Understand, and Engage with Stories Many people now read comics on mobile apps instead of in print. But do the design choices in these apps, such as how the panels are displayed or how readers move through a story, change how people understand and enjoy the comic? This study explores how different comic app designs affect how people read, process, and remember comic stories. We asked 84 people in Taiwan about their comic reading habits and then invited 24 of them to take part in an experiment. They read the same comic stories using three different app formats: full-page layouts (similar to printed comics), single-frame scrolling (one panel at a time), and guided view (where the app controls the reading flow). After reading, participants recalled the story and rated their engagement. We found that the guided view format helped people with lower visual literacy remember the story better and feel more emotionally involved. On the other hand, people with higher visual literacy preferred the full-page format, which gave them more control and a richer view of the artwork. The single-frame format made complex stories easier to understand but was rated lower in terms of visual enjoyment. We also interviewed five experienced comic artists. They said that digital formats require different approaches to storytelling and design. For example, app-based formats can speed up reading or change how time and emotion are felt in the story. This research shows that comic apps are not just a new way to display old comics. They actively shape how stories are told and understood. These findings can help app designers, educators, and artists create better comic reading experiences for all types of readers.

The purpose of this study is to determine the students’ perceptions of the roles of narrative structure in reading engagement of senior high school students. This study used qualitative method of research and descriptive approach as its research design, in addition to a set of structured interview questions to gather data from senior high school students of Pinagtongulan Integrated National High School, located at Lipa City, Batangas. These structured interview questions were carefully designed to cover various dimensions of the study, including the roles of narrative structure in the reading engagement of the students, how narrative structure affects the reading engagement and proposed activities to engage other students in reading using narrative structure. The results revealed that students perceived narrative structure as a crucial role as it serves as an organizer and backbone of each literature and through this, it helps the readers to easily understand the story in a more comprehensible way. It also allows reader to decode the information given and shows the sequence, organization and the flow of the story. This study also showed how narrative structure affects the reading engagement of the students as it enhances comprehension and gives students drive to learn more. Furthermore, it also affects reading engagement of the students in terms of motivation, character development and creates impact with their emotion. Lastly, students also concluded varied activities to engage other students to read using narrative structure. These includes activities like alternating/rewriting ending and making predictions, creating story boards and interactive materials and sharing experiences through reading, visualizing and group storytelling. By integrating these approaches, students concluded that other students will be more engaged to reading and it can help them to express themselves.

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With the growing capabilities of advanced language models, artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly contributing to storytelling, raising questions about narrative coherence, emotional resonance, and the impact of authorship disclosure. The research explores how readers engage with and perceive AI-generated narratives in the evolving landscape of digital literature. It examines six key factors: Narrative Coherence (NC), Emotional Resonance (ER), Disclosure of AI Authorship (DAI), Reader Engagement (RE), Narrative Preference (NP), and Narrative Genre Preference (NGP) through a structured survey of 500 participants using a five-point Likert scale. The research has used the SPSS-29 and considers statistical methods like ANOVA, Chi-Square tests, and descriptive statistics. Hypothetical pathway analysis was employed to evaluate reader responses and identify significant patterns. Findings reveal that NC and ER positively influence RE, while DAI negatively affects NP. Among all hypotheses tested, the most significant was H5, demonstrating that reader engagement strongly enhances narrative preference (β = 0.47, p = 0.000). ANOVA results confirmed meaningful engagement differences across demographic groups (F = 4.73, p = 0.003), and Chi-Square tests indicated significant associations for all six variables, especially DAI (χ² = 15.87, p = 0.0001). Descriptive statistics highlighted high overall scores for NC and RE, and mixed responses for DAI. These results emphasize the importance of emotional and structural quality in AI storytelling and illustrates reader sensitivity to machine authorship. The research contributes to the understanding of AI's role in narrative creation and offers a data-driven framework for designing engaging, emotionally compelling, and contextually aware AI-generated literature.

ABSTRACT Purpose The use of attentional resources is an important cognitive indicator of reading engagement but it is unknown how this is influenced by linguistic cues. We designed two experiments to investigate whether shifts in narrative perspectives occupy more of the attention of readers and engage them more in the text. Methods Experiment 1 employed a dual-task paradigm to explore how shifts in narrative perspective influence the attention that readers allocate to the text. Experiment 2 used the same methods but replaced sentences with whole chapters to examine the effects of shifted perspectives on readers’ ability to allocate attention and engage in reading. Results Experiment 1 found that shifts in perspective delayed the participants’ responses to the tones. Experiment 2 found that perspective shifts enhanced the participants’ self-reported attentional focus and overall reading engagement. The results of Experiment 1 were not replicated by Experiment 2 but both experiments found that attentional engagement was deeper at the initial than the later stage of reading. Conclusion Perspective shifts in novels constitute valid language cues that can fully utilize readers’ attentional resources and improve their engagement in reading. Attentional resources play a more important role when readers initially process texts than at later stages.

This paper explores the intersection of logic and narratology in Noel Carroll's theory of narrative closure (2007). Grounding his theory in the logic of questions and answers, technically known as inferential erotetic logic, Carroll built his theory on the concept of the erotetic narrative, which employs, according to inferential logic, causal narrative connections to pose questions to the reader as a means to process the narrative cognitively. According to Carroll, narrative closure occurs when these questions are answered, manifesting as a phenomenological feeling experienced by the reader. This paper identifies a critical gap in Carroll's theory, which is the omission of logical inference in achieving narrative closure. By omitting the role of inference, Carroll's theory reduces closure to a purely plot-driven process, overlooking the cognitive mechanisms through which readers generate and resolve questions. This paper argues that the re-institution of inference in Carroll’s theory offers a more comprehensive understanding of how narrative closure functions, extending beyond the plot to include the reader's active engagement in question generation and resolution.

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Academics and the general public often find themselves speaking about engagement when discussing narratives. As readers, we talk about being transported to the storyworld, immersed in the narrative and getting lost in the book. Sometimes, our engagement with narratives evokes a childlike wonder. We recognise ourselves in the characters, sympathise with their struggles and experience various emotions alongside them. Moreover, research has shown that these effects are stronger when people read fictional novels as opposed to non-fictional texts. This presents an exciting avenue of research: does the perception of fictionality affect narrative engagement? In other words, if two different readers are given an identical text, but one is told that the text is fictional and the other non-fictional, will that change their responses and affect their narrative engagement? To explore this question of perceived fictionality, I designed an experiment in which actual readers were interviewed to establish whether their perception of a narrative as fictional or non-fictional influenced its reception. To this purpose, Storyworld Possible Selves (SPSs) Theory was used as a framework with James Frey’s book A Million Little Pieces serving as the text material. The experiment involved interviews with twenty-four participants divided into three equal groups, each assigned to one of three conditions: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Control. Before reading excerpts from the book, participants in the Fiction group were told that the text they were given was fiction, the Non-Fiction group was told the text was non-fiction, and the Control group was given no such information. In short, this dissertation focused on people’s responses and perceptions when reading a narrative. The results indicate that the readers in the study who read the provided narrative as fiction displayed the emergence of a larger number of SPSs and, thus, exhibited higher levels of narrative engagement. Furthermore, the results show a strong connection between individuals’ self-concepts – or who they believe to be – and their narrative engagement, suggesting that familiarity with the text’s topic enhances narrative engagement. In summary, the findings suggest that fictionality affects the construction of SPSs to some extent and provides strong support for the enlightening potential of SPSs Theory in studying how fictionality can influence narrative engagement. Additionally, the findings confirm that while perceptions of (non-)fictionality may act as a contributing factor, the reader’s self-concept also plays an essential role in the creation of SPSs and, therefore, in narrative engagement.

This study examines readers’ responses to two folktales Timun Mas (Indonesia) and Jack and the Beanstalk (England) with the objective of identifying how cultural values shape intellectual and emotional engagement with narrative texts. Data were collected from 30 undergraduate students majoring in English literature. Employing an experimental approach, participants read both folktales and responded through structured questionnaires and open-ended written reflections. The findings reveal notable variations in readers’ interpretations of the two stories. In Timun Mas, participants expressed both positive and negative responses influenced by their cultural backgrounds. Many appreciated the integration of Javanese cultural elements such as the naming of characters, the inclusion of traditional objects like terasi (shrimp paste), and references to takhyul (superstition) which contributed to the story’s cultural richness and authenticity. Readers also admired Timun Mas’s perseverance in confronting adversity, reflecting cultural values of resilience and moral strength. Conversely, some participants criticized the character of Mbok Srini for breaking her promise to the giant, viewing this act as inconsistent with ethical principles valued in their own culture. In contrast, responses to Jack and the Beanstalk were predominantly negative, with readers interpreting Jack’s actions as morally questionable. Many described him as greedy, deceitful, and unjustified in killing the giant. Several participants suggested that the story should have concluded with a tragic ending in which Jack faces the consequences of his actions. Overall, the study underscores the profound influence of cultural background on readers’ moral evaluations, emotional responses, and interpretive engagement with folktales across different cultural traditions.

Despite its well-documented benefits, reading literature in a second language remains challenging. Graphic novels, by integrating text and images, effectively support English as a Second language (ESL) readers; however, adapting literary works into this format is resource-intensive and lacks scalability. To address this, we developed a LangChain-based pipeline that automatically transforms a story into a graphic novel. Through a user study with 76 participants, we investigated (1) how this adaptation influences ESL readers’ comprehension and narrative engagement, and (2) readers’ perception of AI’s role in the creative process. Results showed no significant differences in comprehension or engagement between the AI-generated graphic novel and traditional text. Although 70% of participants recognized AI involvement, attitudes toward its role as illustrator were generally positive, despite a few cross-domain concerns. This work contributes to the understanding of AI-powered storytelling from a human-centered perspective, identifying key insights for effectively supporting readers through AI-generated visual narratives.

The rise of digital innovation has significantly transformed literary narratives, reshaping storytelling techniques and expanding genre conventions. This study examines the impact of digital platforms such as Wattpad, Twine, and AO3 on contemporary literature, highlighting how they integrate traditional storytelling with multimedia and gaming elements. It explores the emergence of new genres, including climate fiction and interactive fiction, emphasizing the democratization of content creation and reader participation.  To analyze these shifts, the study employs a ‘mixed-methods approach’, combining ‘qualitative content analysis’ and ‘case studies’ of digital narratives. It examines primary and secondary sources, including user-generated content, academic literature, and platform analytics, to identify evolving storytelling trends. Additionally, ‘semi-structured interviews’ with authors, readers, and developers provide practical insights into reader engagement and narrative transformation. The study also incorporates ‘quantitative validation’, leveraging platform data to assess how interactive tools enhance literary experiences.  Findings reveal that digital narratives foster inclusivity and redefine reader engagement, transforming passive consumption into active participation. However, challenges such as content preservation, algorithm-driven literary visibility, and canonical recognition persist. The study also anticipates the role of augmented and virtual reality in shaping the future of digital storytelling, potentially redefining immersive literary experiences.  By mapping these transformations, this research underscores the enduring adaptability of literature in the digital age, balancing technological advancements with the creative and cultural integrity of storytelling. The evolution of digital media has significantly influenced literary discourse, reshaping the modes of reading, writing, and interpreting texts. Scholars such as Bolter (2001) have examined how hypertext and digital media remediate traditional print culture, challenging established notions of textuality and authorship. This paper explores these transformations through a critical engagement with foundational theories in electronic literature, hypertext, and new media studies.

This study presents the search for a new method for initiating a narrative dialogue with Biblical texts in secondary school classrooms, which resulted in cognitive semantics. This method was employed to develop exercises with the aim of making students more open to a Biblical text (the ‘mystery’ exercise) and engage in a narrative dialogue with the story (the ‘essay’ exercise). In a narrative dialogue, the perspective of the ‘other’ is presented in a story, which results in an interaction between the text and readers’ life questions and experiences. Genesis 1:1–2:3 was selected as a text. More openness to a Biblical text is important as it facilitates engagement in a narrative dialogue because affinity with a Biblical text is no longer a given among young people, including those whom youth ministry tries to reach. Therefore, exercises as outlined in the study can be valuable within youth ministry to discuss young people’s questions of life and offer them perspectives.

In the new era, college students are in a critical period of shaping their personality and values and are vulnerable to the influence of the Internet and family environments. At the same time, the social-psychological assistance service is not yet perfect, which leads to their failure to receive timely adjustment when they have psychological abnormalities. To solve this problem, this article conducts a comparative study by integrating traditional psychological Therapy and currently popular psychological Therapy and proposes that the use of narrative therapy theory and reading therapy theory can effectively intervene in the psychological abnormalities of college students in the new era, and discusses the practice and application prospects of this method.

Some children with autism may require additional support to meet academic expectations for comprehension. Because an extensive set of research links oral narration to listening and reading comprehension, the promotion of narrative-based skills may be a viable intervention approach. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of narrative intervention with explicit strategy instruction on the listening and reading retells of children with autism after hearing and decoding novel stories. Four children with autism aged 7 and 9 years old participated in this multiple baseline across participants single-case experimental design study. Behavioral therapists delivered the narrative intervention, which included explicit instruction on the use of story grammar icons, to each child individually within the course of their therapy. Results showed that all participants improved their listening (TauU ES range = 0.64–1.06) and reading (TauU ES range = 0.72–1.15) retells, but they required extended use of the icon strategy to achieve the most benefit. When icons were completely removed, three of the four participants performed above baseline levels on the listening and reading comprehension measures.

This study assessed the direct and ‐ indirect effects of Supporting Knowledge in Language and Literacy (SKILL), a narrative intervention designed to improve oral and written narrative abilities in school‐age children with or at risk for language and reading disorders. We conducted a multisite randomized controlled trial with 357 students in Grades 1–4 (S. Gillam, 2023). Multilevel models showed significant posttest and follow‐up gains in oral narrative production (Hedges' g = 0.61 and 0.63) and generalization to written narrative skills (g = 0.34–0.35). To move beyond our main effects, we conducted moderated mediation analyses, which revealed that decoding skill significantly moderated both the direct and indirect effects of the SKILL intervention on reading comprehension. Students with low to average decoding abilities experienced the strongest indirect benefits of treatment on reading comprehension through gains in narrative ability. These findings provide empirical support for the Reading Is Language (RIL) model (Snowling & Hulme, 2025), which conceptualizes reading comprehension as a product of reciprocal interactions between decoding and language skills. Clinically, results suggest that oral language interventions like SKILL can support literacy development, particularly when combined with decoding instruction for children with weaker word recognition skills. The study highlights the potential of narrative‐focused interventions to contribute meaningfully to literacy growth, offering both theoretical and practical guidance for educators and clinicians.

Background Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) show prominent deficits in pragmatic aspects of language such as spoken narrative. Deficits in spoken narrative in school years lead to deficits in reading comprehension. Therefore, this randomized clinical trial research examined the influence of narrative intervention on spoken narrative and reading comprehension abilities in children with ASD. Methods In the current double-blind, randomized clinical trial study, 21 students with ASD from second to seventh grade participated in the study. Two intervention methods were provided three times a week and a total of 24 sessions of 45 minutes. The experimental group received the Supporting Knowledge in Language and Literacy (SKILL) program and the control group received Traditional Language Therapy (TLT). The score of macrostructures, microstructures, perspective-taking index, narrative complexity, Story knowledge index, and reading comprehension score were measured pre and post-intervention. ANCOVA was used for between- within-group comparisons analysis. Results The experimental group indicated significant improvement in macrostructure (P < 0.001, η2 = 0.614), microstructure (P = 0.012, η2 = 0.303), narrative complexity (P < 0.001, η2 = 0.585), story knowledge index (P < 0.001, η2 = 0.574) and perspective taking index (P < 0.001, η2 = 0.553) compared to the control group. However, the difference between the two groups in reading comprehension skills was not significant in post-intervention (P = 0.457, η2 = 0.031). Conclusion The results showed the efficacy of the three stages of the SKILL program compared to TLT in spoken narrative. Also, the results of the study showed that the SKILL program and TLT have the same effect on improving reading comprehension.

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PURPOSE The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of vocabulary instruction embedded in the narrative intervention on the immediate and retained definitional knowledge of taught words for first graders at risk for language-related reading difficulties. METHOD We employed a repeated acquisition design with innovative quality features and supplemental statistics with 11 treatment students and three control students. In the context of the school's multitiered system of supports, treatment students received 30-min small group interventions, 4 days a week for 12 weeks. Intervention involved story retelling and personal story generation lessons, both of which emphasized the learning and practicing of target vocabulary words in each story. Pre- and postprobes of the taught definitions were conducted every week. RESULTS According to visual analysis conventions of single-case research, there was a consistent pattern of improvement from pre- to postprobes for all treatment participants, but for none of the control participants. Retention was also consistently observed, when measured at Week 13. Supplemental statistics confirmed that large effects were associated with the intervention. CONCLUSION Vocabulary instruction embedded in narrative intervention led to meaningful acquisition and retention of taught vocabulary for students at risk of language-based reading difficulty.

This study examines the effectiveness of Quizizz as an advanced educational tool for enhancing narrative text reading comprehension among eleventh-grade students. Using a pre-experimental design with a single group pre-test and post-test approach, the research involved 18 eleventh-grade students. Statistical analysis included normality tests, reliability assessment, homogeneity of variance testing, and paired samples t-tests to evaluate the intervention's effectiveness. Results demonstrated a significant improvement in students' reading comprehension abilities following the implementation of Quizizz, with a mean difference of 31.611 between pre-test and post-test scores (p < 0.001). The findings indicate that Quizizz functions as an effective educational resource for developing narrative reading skills among senior high school students, underscoring the potential value of gamified learning platforms in contemporary language education.

The act of reading necessitates that student readers employ various cognitive and linguistic tactics to comprehend the meaning embedded within the text. Using an e-learning method through WhatsApp groups to teach reading comprehension on narrative texts can be a new breakthrough. Therefore, the present study aims to find out the effect of WhatsApp groups on narrative text in junior high school students to teach reading comprehension. To reach the research aims, the study used experimental research method. The population of this research was 330 students of grade 9 of junior high school in Pematangsiantar. The researchers divided the samples intor control group and experimental group. The data collection method used was the reading tests employed to the students which covered pre-test, treatment, and post-test. The statistical analysis employed t-test analysis. Comparison of data from both groups indicated superior performance by the experimental group. The findings unequivocally show that the experimental intervention employing WhatsApp have significant effect on students’ reading comprehension of narrative text compared to traditional approaches. While WhatsApp has proven to be an effective tool, researchers must consider the challenges of using it for reading instruction in remote areas with limited internet connectivity. Students cannot access WhatsApp-based reading lessons without internet access, though they can still search for information through text messages. Therefore, it is important to examine the limitations of utilizing WhatsApp for reading education in areas with poor internet infrastructure.

Abstract Purpose Science of reading experts have called for increased attention on oral academic language. Interventions need to integrate multiple dimensions of academic language and word learning strategies to impact broader academic repertoires. The purpose of this proof-of-concept study was to examine the effect of an oral academic narrative language intervention, with embedded vocabulary instruction, on listening comprehension and generalised word learning. Method Twenty-two first graders at risk for language-based comprehension difficulties were randomly assigned to two groups. Research assistants delivered four 30 min, small group, academic language intervention sessions to the treatment group every week for 12 weeks. Control group students received their typical small group literacy interventions from classroom teachers. At pre-and post-test, first graders’ narrative listening comprehension and ability to infer the meaning of words from story context were assessed. Result From pre- to post-test, students in the treatment group outperformed students in the control group on both the narrative retell (p = .0001) and vocabulary (p = .029) measures, with large effects (d = 1.54 and 1.18, respectively). Conclusion Vocabulary instruction embedded in narrative intervention can improve young students’ ability to learn novel word meanings from context and listening comprehension skills. As a promising approach to integrating multiple aspects of oral academic language, further refinement and extensions are recommended.

Shared reading has the potential to promote a wide range of language skills that are important for reading acquisition. Dialogic reading interventions in preschool facilitate the acquisition of vocabulary and narrative production skills, but it is unclear (a) whether dialogic reading can also foster inferential and literal narrative comprehension and (b) whether intervention effects are maintained until the beginning of formal reading instruction. To close these two gaps, we designed and conducted a low-dose narrative dialogic reading intervention with wordless picture books. On the child care center level, 201 German preschoolers (M age = 5;5 years) were randomly assigned to the dialogic reading group, an alternative treatment group, or a no treatment group. Hierarchical linear models showed positive effects of dialogic reading on inferential and literal narrative comprehension and on vocabulary depth and breadth. The effect on inferential narrative comprehension was maintained five months after posttest. Overall, our findings indicate that even a small amount of narrative dialogic reading has small, albeit mostly short-term effects on narrative comprehension and vocabulary skills. We conclude that narrative dialogic reading is a promising approach for supporting the development of preschoolers’ inferential skills. Long-term intervention studies are needed for the evaluation of long-term effects.

Background: Shared book reading (SBR) is a crucial activity fostering parent-child interaction and promoting children’s early language and emergent literacy skills. SBR interventions are carried out less in low- and middle-income countries. Hence, there is a need for research in such settings. Aim: The present study focuses on providing SBR training to parents and assesses parents’ interactive storybook reading and changes in the child’s narrative development at baseline, postintervention, and follow-up. Method: A total of 210 parents and typically developing child dyads participated in this study, 105 in experimental and control groups. The children from the experimental group participated in one-on-one book reading interactions with their parents after receiving training. Parents in the control group were not trained to read with their children. One week after the training sessions and 2 months later, children and parents were tested to determine whether the training led to beneficial effects. Result: The data were analyzed by x2 test, Kruskal Wallis 1-way ANOVA on ranks with Student Newman Keuls multiple comparison test (post-hoc test), and 3-way ANOVA with a post-hoc multiple comparison test. During 2 postintervention sessions, parents and children assigned to the intervention group significantly increased the targeted interactive shared reading skills. This result indicates that the intervention successfully changed parent SBR behaviors (P < .001), resulting in improved child’s narrative skills (P < .001). Conclusion: The current findings can aid in the creation of intervention programs to support parents’ SBR skills and promote children’s overall development.

This paper reports a systematic narrative synthesis review conducted on the educational effectiveness of genre theory/systemic functional linguistics pedagogies for improving reading and writing outcomes in K-10 education within mainstream classrooms in Australia, the UK, the USA, New Zealand, and Canada. This framework has significant influence on reading and writing curriculum, teacher training, and literacy practices. However, its evidence base has never been systematically reviewed. An exhaustive database search sourced 7846 potentially relevant studies, which were screened according to guidelines for evaluating evidence through systematic narrative synthesis reviews and standardly applied criteria for educational evidence (e.g., The Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation, What Works Clearinghouse). Very few peer-reviewed intervention studies with control groups and quantitatively measured outcomes were found. A surprising result. Those studies showing positive effects had flaws in research design and quality that preclude their use as educational evidence. This systematic review indicates that there is insufficient rigorous evidence of the benefits, or lack thereof, of genre theory/systemic functional linguistics–based approaches to teaching reading and writing within K-10 education, at least in terms of measurable outcomes for students. More high-quality research needs to be undertaken as the current research record is not sufficient to prove or disprove the value of this approach.

This qualitative case study explores the school-based reading intervention in a public elementary school by analyzing how the reading teachers viewed the intervention's program objectives, assessed learners' reading levels, employed reading strategies, and utilized reading materials. Through the narrative analyses of interview data coupled with triangulation of observation notes and program artifacts, it was found that the teachers' reading objectives and strategies focused mainly on the development of word reading skills while providing little to no attention to the improvement of comprehension skills. Also, piloted teacher-made and adapted materials may be more beneficial if subjected to further testing and review to be grade-level appropriate and diverse learner sensitive. The reading teachers' illustrative cases, lack of literacy-relevant resources, effective strategy, and assessment in this study may inform school stakeholders, drivers, and the school intervention program for an all-out engagement towards a well-programmed road promoting literacy for all at the school level.

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This article summarizes the author's practical experience in teaching the courses “Literary Reading” (for children aged 7-11) and “Literary Club” (for teenagers) at the International School of Russian Language and Literature “Literary.Russian.” The focus is on children's literature as a mediator of cultures and languages in a bilingual context. Reading is viewed as a space of intercultural dialogue, a tool for developing linguistic and emotional awareness, and a means of interpreting the digital reality through art and narrative. The analysis is based on long-term teaching experience with Russian-speaking children living abroad and demonstrates how both classical and modern texts become instruments for maintaining identity and fostering creative thinking.

Background and Purpose: Digital storytelling has emerged as a promising multimodal pedagogical approach in early childhood education; however, empirical evidence on its integrated impact on early reading skills and conceptual understanding remains limited, particularly within Malaysian preschool contexts. Grounded in multimodal learning theory, sociocultural theory, and narrative cognition, this study examines the effects of structured digital storytelling aligned with the National Preschool Standard Curriculum or Kurikulum Standard Prasekolah Kebangsaan (KSPK) on children’s literacy and thematic comprehension. Methodology: A quasi-experimental mixed-methods design was employed involving 60 preschool children aged 5–6 years with parental consent across two Malaysian preschools and four of their teachers (i.e., two teachers from each of the preschools) with individual consent and institutional permission. The intervention group engaged in teacher-guided digital storytelling over eight weeks, while the comparison group received traditional print-based storytelling. Quantitative data were analysed using ANCOVA, complemented by qualitative observations and teacher interviews. Findings: The findings from quantitative analysis have revealed that children in the digital storytelling group demonstrated significantly higher gains in phonological awareness, vocabulary acquisition, narrative sequencing, and conceptual understanding of environmental and social themes. Findings from qualitative analysis have provided further evidence of enhanced engagement, multimodal meaning-making and collaborative interpretation. Contributions: This paper proposes the Multimodal Narrative Learning Model for Preschool (MNLM-P) to explain how multimodal representation, narrative engagement, and interactive scaffolding mediate learning outcomes. This study has contributed to theory by integrating literacy and conceptual learning within a unified framework and provides context-specific evidence supporting digital storytelling as an effective pedagogy for reading in early childhood education in Malaysia. Keywords: Digital storytelling, preschool education, early reading development, conceptual understanding, multimodal learning. Cite as: Zainudin, Z., Jamil, N. K., Wan Nik, W. S., Mohammad Khaidzir, A. S., & Mohd Ali, Z. (2026). Digital storytelling in preschool education: Enhancing early reading skills and conceptual understanding through multimodal narrative pedagogy. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 11(2), 360-379. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol11iss2pp360-379

This critical literature review examines recent research on the pedagogical, cognitive, and usability dimensions of digital storybooks, with the aim of identifying evidence-based criteria for coherent and engaging narrative design. Drawing on cognitive load and multimedia learning theories, it analyses how personalisation, interactivity, and multimedia features can support comprehension, motivation, and narrative engagement while preserving narrative flow. The review highlights how design choices shape children’s reading for pleasure and broader literacy experiences, and discusses the educational potential of digital books as narrative spaces that foster authorship and narrative agency. The article concludes by offering pedagogically informed guidance for teachers and parents on selecting and using digital storybooks in age-appropriate ways.

Narration is one basic category of extended discourse, including the complex ways language is used to express various ideas. According to Bruner, narrative is a conceptual reconstruction of experience and the fi rst form of discourse produced by children. This is why narrative is embedded in various activities in early childhood education. Children are encouraged to share their experiences, thoughts, or fantastic word, retell the stories they have heard or been read to, make a story out of their paintings, or compose a story with dolls or in a drama play corner. To support children who do not have their mother tongue as the language of instruction we are to fi nd ways to get them acquainted with narratives. In this presentation we are going to share some good practices about how digital reading of fairy tales, traditional stories, mythology, or modern literature in children’s books can be used in order to enhance language and early literacy in both early childhood education settings and families. These practices were developed by pre-service students of early childhood education and were used in their training. Even though there was no systematic observation or recording, we had a very warm respond from educators and parents. Children were very enthusiastic to share what they had heard in classroom with their parents and got confi - dence in language use after having heard the same story many times.

This study explores how children's picturebook reading experiences are constructed and reinterpreted within diverse literacy environments in the digital age. Using the three-dimensional narrative inquiry framework―temporality, sociality, and place―the study analyzes one child's reading experiences across different developmental stages. It examines how interactions with digital media such as webtoons, YouTube, and games reshape the meaning of picturebook reading. The participant, Jisu(pseudonym), initially viewed picturebook reading as something she had to “pretend to enjoy.” Over time, she developed as an agentive reader by selecting books that reflected her feelings and interests. From early elementary school, she engaged in storytelling, editing, and sharing through digital media, which led her to see picturebooks as fixed narrative forms. This perception caused discomfort and gradually distanced her from picturebook reading. Yet Jisu also showed a desire to reconnect with picturebooks. Despite rejecting fixed stories and aesthetic norms, she began to reconstruct their meaning through interactions with peers and teachers. Her experience shows that picturebook education should not focus solely on skill development, but support readers in interpreting and sharing emotions and ideas in social contexts. Ultimately, such experiences should inspire children to return to books―to open them again with renewed curiosity and engagement.

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Digital books, such as e-books, story apps, picture book apps, and interactive stories, are narratives presented on touchscreens with multimedia and interactive features. Evidence suggests that early reading of print versus digital books is associated with different patterns of parent–child engagement and children’s outcomes. Parents’ verbal scaffolding, children’s age, and the congruence between a book’s narrative and its interactive and multimedia features are three documented process variables that explain the difference between reading print and digital books. To maximize the added value of digital books for children, we need to study the interaction among the characteristics of parents, children, and books; we also need to target these interactions through interventions and through collaborations between designers and researchers. KEYWORDS—e-books; digital books; story apps From a very young age, children are increasingly using digital media. This phenomenon, coupled with the undisputable benefits of children reading print books, makes it imperative to identify the benefits and limits of children’s digital books. The findings of studies on the topic have been mixed, with researchers following different theoretical and methodological approaches and reaching different conclusions, as highlighted in two recent literature reviews (Kucirkova, 2019; Reich, Yau, & Warschauer, 2016). If we assume that digital books unidirectionally alter the nature of parent–child interaction, then shared reading of digital books is inferior to shared reading of print books. But if we view the context of parent–child reading as something that is created together socially and materially, then different digital books are suitable for different children and parents. Research on the use of children’s digital books has grown over the past two decades into a multidisciplinary and methodologically diverse area, with a focus on qualitative or quantitative research techniques and books produced commercially or by researchers. In this article, I focus on children’s digital books in relation to the interaction among parents’ reading strategies, children’s characteristics, and books’ features, and explain the mixed findings in the literature on reading print versus digital books. Some have argued that comparisons of children’s outcomes in relation to digital versus print books isolate elements of context and design. Such an approach neglects several important process variables, such as parents’ and children’s behaviors with different features of books, which jointly affect children’s learning. The field needs more practice-focused scholarship that considers nuanced sociocultural influences, which dovetail with the design features of individual e-books. The focus in this article is on children from birth to age 5 years, when most children are not yet readers, which is the popular under-5 category targeted by commercial e-book providers (e.g., Apple). The term digital books refers to e-books, story apps, picture book apps, and iBooks, which offer fictional narratives in texts, illustrations, sounds, and interactive features, and which are available via touchscreen technologies. In this review, I include studies of children reading digital books with adults, with other children, and by themselves. First, I consider key findings from studies that compared digital and print books in relation to children’s early literacy Natalia Kucirkova, University of Stavanger. Thank you to Professors Adriana Bus, Mary Courage, and Barry Zuckerman for reading and commenting on earlier drafts of this article. This study was supported by Grant No. 275576 from The Research Council of Norway. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Natalia Kucirkova, Norwegian Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioural Research, University of Stavanger, Stavanger 4044, Norway; e-mail: natalia.kucirkova@uis.no.

Narrative skills in the preschool period serve as a key predictor of children's subsequent reading comprehension and overall academic achievement. This study aims to evaluate the impact of dialogic reading interventions on the narrative macrostructure and causal language skills of preschool-aged children. Following a systematic search of the Web of Science, EBSCO, and ERIC databases, 16 experimental and quasi-experimental studies (total N  > 1,800) meeting the PICO-S criteria were included in the meta-analysis. Analysis using a random-effects model was per-formed to determine effect sizes. Analysis indicated a statistically significant and positive overall effect of dialogic reading interventions on narrative skills [ g  = 0.62, 95% CI (0.44, 0.80)]. Sub-dimension analyses indicated that higher effects occurred in narrative macrostructure ( g  = 0.82) and causal language reasoning skills ( g  = 0.78). Digital and robotic intervention modalities ( g  = 0.88) appeared to yield higher effect sizes than traditional print-based methods, though these findings should be interpreted with caution given the limited number of studies in these modalities. These findings highlight dialogic reading as a robust pedagogical tool that transforms children into active meaning-makers, with digital modalities offering particularly strong support. The results suggest that integrating interactional, structural, and cognitive scaffolding is essential for fostering comprehensive narrative competence in early childhood.

The language that children are exposed to in their early years is enhanced by children's picture books. It is important to better characterise this input, and recent research has begun to explore corpora of narrative picture books. However, previous research has been restricted by methodological limitations that make it difficult to develop large datasets. Further, information texts become increasingly important as children progress through school, but little is known about the language of their earliest form, namely, informational picture books. The current study investigates how informational and narrative picture book exposure might change the language environment of children in a way that supports reading development.The study applies data science methods to build a larger language model than previously possible and investigates the lexical profile of over 2000 narrative and information picture books. Picture book vocabulary is innovatively derived from digital sources of books read‐aloud online, which pushes the field forward by providing researchers access to larger pools of data than previously possible. Detailed comparisons of informational and narrative picture books are reported regarding their lexical diversity, density, morphology, academic vocabulary and semantic clusters. Models are developed to estimate the additional word‐type exposure a child may encounter in their language environment from narrative and informational picture books.The study demonstrates that information and narrative picture books expose children to substantially different semantic environments. It is demonstrated that information picture books provide extensive exposure to academic vocabulary, providing important input aligned with later reading needs. Further, computational models indicate that book reading once every day or second day over a year might boost unique‐word exposure by approximately 10% for some language environments.Combining informational and narrative picture books enhance the language environment of children more than narratives alone, providing more lexical diversity, density and complex morphology.

This study explored how Chinese parents implement dialogic reading strategies with digital English storybooks, with a focus on their interaction styles and language use patterns. Through parent-child reading recordings and semi-structured interviews with 20 Chinese parents of children aged 4-6 years, the result revealed that parents employed Language Skill-focused style and Interest-focused style. The Language Skill-focused style emphasized vocabulary acquisition, reading skills development, and narrative competence through structured instruction, immediate feedback, and comprehension questions. In contrast, those adopting the Interest-focused style prioritized maintaining children's enthusiasm through games, role-playing, and expressive reading techniques, believing that sustained interest would naturally lead to language acquisition. The study also identified three language use patterns: English-dominant, where parents consistently used English throughout the reading process; Chinese-dominant, where parents primarily used their first language while introducing English vocabulary; and English-Chinese bilingual mediation, where parents employed sophisticated translanguaging strategies to scaffold understanding. The research provides insights for designing parent training programs to enhance both interaction quality and language use and offers guidance for dialogic reading implementation in EFL context.

No abstract available

Literacy development in children aged 5–6 is crucial for fostering cognitive growth, school readiness, and social competence. However, implementing effective literacy teaching strategies remains challenging in diverse educational settings. This study employs a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to examine the impact of digital learning media on early childhood literacy, focusing on the competencies developed and factors influencing effectiveness. Analysis of 34 selected studies reveals that digital media significantly enhances literacy skills, particularly in language, communication, and cognitive domains. Interactive tools such as digital storybooks, educational applications, and learning games promote engagement, vocabulary expansion, narrative comprehension, and critical thinking. The active involvement of parents and educators is essential in guiding children and selecting developmentally appropriate digital content. Although the direct effects on reading and writing acquisition remain underexplored, findings suggest that integrating digital media in literacy instruction can make learning more enjoyable and effective. The study concludes that digital media serves as a promising pedagogical tool to strengthen early literacy when supported by active adult participation, thoughtful content design, and conducive learning environments.

Purpose: This review develops Educational Competitive Intelligence Capability as an organizational capacity for improving picture-book reading comprehension in early childhood education. It explains how schools can define intelligence needs, scan relevant environments, acquire and interpret evidence, disseminate insight, use it in teaching, and learn from outcomes. Methodology/approach: A structured integrative review synthesized 34 peer-reviewed sources published from 2020 to 2025 across competitive intelligence, educator data use, shared reading, narrative comprehension, and digital picture books. Evidence was coded against eight intelligence-cycle functions and comprehension-related instructional decisions. Heterogeneous designs were synthesized thematically rather than pooled statistically. Originality/Relevance: The article keeps competitive intelligence at the organizational level. Children are not treated as competitors or intelligence agents. Their responses become ethically governed evidence for teacher and school decisions. Key findings: Stronger decision processes combine purposeful scanning with multimodal evidence, contextual interpretation, collaborative dissemination, adaptive teaching, and explicit feedback. Information volume alone does not constitute capability. Theoretical/methodological contributions: The review proposes an eight-domain Educational Competitive Intelligence Capability cycle and a 24-item measurement specification for future validation. It connects intelligence governance with book selection, dialogic questioning, multilingual support, inference, retelling, and comprehension monitoring while defining clear empirical boundaries for subsequent field research worldwide.

In recent years, audiobooks have gained increasing attention as an alternative format through which literary narratives can be accessed and experienced. Within the context of children’s literature, audiobooks offer young audiences the opportunity to encounter stories through listening, emphasizing the auditory and performative dimensions of storytelling. This development reflects broader changes in contemporary reading environments, where digital media have expanded the ways in which children interact with literary texts. The present review article examines the role of audiobooks in children’s literary experiences and explores their potential contribution to the development of reading engagement. The study adopts a narrative literature review approach and examines research related to children’s literature, narrative experience, audiobook use and reading engagement. Relevant academic publications were identified through searches in major scholarly databases using keywords related to children’s literature, audiobooks and reading practices. The selected literature was analyzed in order to identify key themes concerning the relationship between listening to stories and children’s engagement with literary narratives. The findings of the review suggest that audiobooks represent an important form of literary experience that can support children’s interaction with stories. Listening to narrated texts may provide children with access to literary narratives, encourage imaginative involvement and support familiarity with narrative structures. In addition, audiobooks may contribute to the development of reading engagement by offering accessible and enjoyable encounters with stories, particularly in contemporary digital reading environments. Overall, the literature indicates that audiobooks should be understood as complementary to traditional reading practices rather than as substitutes for printed books. By expanding the ways in which children encounter literary narratives, audiobooks may play a meaningful role in supporting children’s interest in literature and their participation in reading culture.

Multimodal literacy in early childhood develops through interactions among written text, images, sounds, digital technologies, and social communication. Understanding the contributions of different media is essential for supporting children’s emergent literacy development. This study aimed to analyze research trends in multimodal literacy and synthesize the contributions of digital storytelling, interactive picture books, and shared reading to emergent literacy in early childhood. A systematic literature review was conducted using publications from 2016 to 2026 retrieved from Scopus, the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and Google Scholar. Literature selection was based on topic relevance, participants’ age, publication year, and the availability of research findings. Studies meeting the eligibility criteria were analyzed to identify recurring themes and research outcomes. The synthesis indicated that vocabulary development, narrative skills, phonological awareness, print knowledge, reading comprehension, and meaning-making were frequently examined aspects of emergent literacy. The potential benefits of literacy media were not determined solely by whether the format was digital or print-based, but also by media design, multimodal features, children’s developmental stages, learning objectives, and adult guidance. These findings suggest that supporting emergent literacy in early childhood requires the integration of developmentally appropriate media and responsive pedagogical interactions. Educators should therefore provide literacy experiences that encourage dialogue, interpretation, and active child participation. ABSTRAK Literasi multimodal pada anak usia dini berkembang melalui interaksi antara teks tertulis, gambar, suara, teknologi digital, dan komunikasi sosial. Pemahaman mengenai kontribusi berbagai bentuk media tersebut penting untuk mendukung perkembangan literasi awal anak. Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis tren penelitian literasi multimodal serta menyintesis kontribusi digital storytelling, buku cerita bergambar interaktif, dan membaca bersama terhadap perkembangan literasi awal anak usia dini. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode tinjauan pustaka sistematis terhadap publikasi tahun 2016–2026 yang ditelusuri melalui basis data Scopus, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), dan Google Scholar. Seleksi literatur didasarkan pada relevansi topik, usia peserta, tahun publikasi, dan ketersediaan temuan penelitian. Literatur yang memenuhi kriteria kelayakan kemudian dianalisis untuk mengidentifikasi tema dan hasil penelitian yang berulang. Hasil sintesis menunjukkan bahwa perkembangan kosakata, keterampilan naratif, kesadaran fonologis, pengetahuan tentang tulisan, pemahaman bacaan, dan pembentukan makna merupakan aspek literasi awal yang sering dikaji. Potensi manfaat media tidak hanya ditentukan oleh format digital atau cetak, tetapi juga oleh desain media, karakteristik multimodal, tahap perkembangan anak, tujuan pembelajaran, dan pendampingan orang dewasa. Temuan ini menunjukkan bahwa pengembangan literasi anak usia dini perlu mengintegrasikan pemilihan media yang sesuai dengan kebutuhan perkembangan anak dan interaksi pedagogis yang responsif. Oleh karena itu, pendidik perlu menyediakan pengalaman literasi yang mendorong dialog, interpretasi, dan keterlibatan aktif anak.

This paper investigates how locative media strategies in children's books can promote spatial knowledge. Locative media relates information to space, which is considered one of the central elements of the narrative. Narratives are used to condense and remember experiences and are fundamental to our understanding of time and time-based events. The use of locative resources in children's books can create new narratives for space, which are rearranged to support the meaning of the story being told, expanding the reader's interactions and senses. Through a theoretical review and a description of the creation process of locative digital books, developed by undergraduate students in 2023, this study identifies the narrative elements of space and spatial elements in the narrative. It also discusses how they can be used to enhance spatial knowledge and comprehension of the narrative. As a result, this paper proposes guidelines for the use of locative media strategies to design digital books that can enrich children's reading experiences and foster topological skills.

This article addresses questions related to how the change in the textual landscape, from paper-based books to electronic books, has an effect on the teaching of reading in early childhood classrooms as well as how the digital devices relate to different aspects of reading instruction. Drawing on the theoretical concept of affect, the purpose is to expand knowledge about processes of experiencing literary digital texts that are enacted and produced in a Swedish classroom when the teacher and the six-year-old students encounter digital narrative texts. The study draws on ethnographical methods to collect empirical material using video recording, field notes, and small interviews with children. The documentation includes both individual and collaborative reading of digital narratives. Discussed in the intersection between envisionment and affect, the results show that e-book activities create multiple and differing processes of reading. The metacognitive processes initiated by the teacher’s instruction of reading strategies create a distance between the student and the text, while processes of embodied sense-making create a closeness to the text that seems to be vital when the students encounter digital narratives and text worlds. These findings may contribute to educational as well as edu-political discussions about pedagogical rationales for e-book activities in which the dynamic and essential relation between body, space, and reading is made prominent.

Here the author presents preliminary evidence supporting the possibility that the reading ability of 4-year-old children can be improved as a consequence of intensive exposure to the narrative in a digital picture book over a consecutive 5-day period. When creating the digital version used here, two additional functions were provided with it. First, the entire story was voice-recorded by a professional narrator and programmed so that it was played as narration from the speaker of an iPad. Next, as the narration of each digitized page proceeded, the character exactly corresponding to that pronounced by the narrator at that moment became highlighted in red. When the subjects' literacy capability with respect to the syllabic script of the Japanese language (kana) was evaluated before and after the exposure, their performance score was found to increase after the exposure to the digital book, whereas such a change was not recorded in children who experienced exposure to the printed version of the same picture book read to them by their mother. These effects were confirmed when the children were retested 4 weeks later. Although preliminary, the current study represents the first experimental evidence for a positive effect of exposure to digital books upon any aspect of child development.